Yang Likes Bars
by sdakerrigan
Summary: Freezerburn (including some other pairings). Yang and Weiss are happily married, but their relationship had a rocky start. This is the story of how they got together and fell in love, and overcame the roadblocks that were in their way. Ask and ye shall receive; UNDER RECONSTRUCTION
1. Prologue: Freezerburn Established

**A/N**

 **Rated M throughout, sex, swearing, violence, adult themes, drugs, etc.**

 **Disclaimer: RWBY, the plot, characters, and settings all belong to Rooster Teeth and were created by the beloved Monty Oum. I do not own them. I merely _borrowed_ these characters, and I will put them back exactly as I found them. Maybe a little worse for wear, but still all in one piece!**

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 **Prologue: Freezerburn Established**

Bright shafts of sunlight blazed through the crack in the curtains, pushing warmth and light into Yang Xiao Long's plush bedroom. She stirred from her slumber, sensing the sunbeams as they reached her shared kingsize bed. The tall blonde's eyelids slowly opened to reveal her tranquil, amethyst eyes, and her arm twitched awake, disturbing the warm body it was resting on. Yang ran her hand over the curves and dips of the exquisite female form she was spooning, and nuzzled into ivory-white hair. She breathed in the sweet scent of luxurious shampoo and kissed the pale shoulder that was left exposed by the thick, duck-down duvet.

"Good morning."

Weiss Schnee moaned softly as she woke, basking in the heat radiated from the feisty brawler behind her. Her hazy half-dream was fleeting but she knew it was a happy one from the blissful smile on her face. She was naked, a remnant of their passionate night of lovemaking, and the memories of it floated to the forefront of her mind, replacing the dream entirely. Her celeste eyes were open as well, and she turned over in Yang's arms to face her.

"Happy anniversary, my darling." Weiss whispered, before placing a sweet kiss on Yang's lips.

"Mmmmm, happy anniversary, Princess." Yang kissed her wife, entwining the fingers of one hand together with Weiss' small, slender ones. She brought their hands up between them and placed them over her heart so that Weiss could feel the steady beat. "I love you so much." she said, while they shared a look that conveyed all the warmth, tenderness and deep fondness they felt for each other.

Weiss blessed her with a coy smile. "I love you more." Even after all this time, Weiss blushed as she said it. Yang just made her so content and complete. Words could not describe how thankful Weiss was that Yang said 'I do' at the altar and pledged her life to her. "I'm so happy you're my wife, Yang."

"Me too. I can't believe I get to wake up next to you. I want to do this every morning for the rest of our lives." Yang's voice was thick with emotion. Yang really meant it and she wanted Weiss to know it, she brushed her lips over the knuckles of their interlocked fingers. It was a testament to the strength of their undying bond that she allowed Weiss to see her this open and vulnerable.

Weiss used her free hand to sweep Yang's luscious blonde hair out of her face, and then affectionately stroked her cheek. "I made a promise on our wedding day that we would be together forever, so your wish is my command."

Yang closed her eyes to reminisce about that day, one of the best of her life, it brought a smile to her face and tears to her eyes. Their vows were beautiful, pure, and heartfelt, erasing the lives that they lead before that day, and starting anew, permanently joined as one soul instead of two. Weiss leaned over and gently kissed away the tear that dared to fall from between Yang's long eyelashes. The moment Weiss' lips touched her face, she was the happiest she had ever been, she trusted Weiss so entirely with all her heart, with her whole life, that it was perfectly acceptable for her to cry happy tears.

"I'm the luckiest woman in the world. I want to stay like this forever. I wish we could lie here all day and cuddle."

"Yang?"

"Yes, Princess?"

"It's all right, you can stop with the fluff now."

Yang exhaled in relief. "Thank fuck for that. Wasn't sure I was gonna be able to keep a straight face for another round of sappiness." she said with a chuckle.

"It'll never cease to amuse me when you do get mushy. It's very cute."

"Do you think we have time before-"

"Mama! Reza is pulling my hair again." Yennefer cried and came running in from the other room. A miniature Yang, although with shiny, ghost-like mercurial hair, bounded onto their bed and hid her face in the puffy duvet. Yang sighed and smiled, albeit a little exasperated, and Weiss copied her after rolling her eyes.

"Reza, don't pull your sister's hair, if you know what's good for you." Yang shouted to the open door.

"She started it, ma." came the faraway reply.

"Don't make me send your mom in there, she'll set you straight. Come here, Yen, let mama give you a big cuddle."

Yang grabbed the child and pulled her into a mama bear hug. The very same moment, a little boy, tall for his five years, appeared in the doorway, his face and posture making it clear that he was a Schnee. The only evidence of Xiao Long genes were represented in his hair which was as gold as his sister's was silver, but they both shared the same sharp sky blue eyes typical of the Schnees. He climbed on top of the huge bed and stumbled into Weiss' open and waiting arms. He snuggled into his mommy.

She kissed the top of his head on his golden locks. "Hey, baby, you've got a busy day today, are you looking forward to staying with Auntie Ruby and Auntie Blake for the weekend?"

He looked up at Weiss with a toothy grin on his adorable face. "Yeah, I love Auntie Ruby!"

"She'll be very pleased to hear that, make sure you tell her so."

"I will, mom."

Yen sat up and crawled over to Weiss, "Will Auntie Blake-y be grumpy again? Last time, she wouldn't read her book to us." She stuck her arms out asking for a cuddle.

Weiss curled her arm around her, and sat with both her children, one on each of her knees. "Well, she will be grumpy if you call her Auntie Blake-y. You know she told you to call her Blake."

"But it goes, because Auntie Blake-y and Auntie Ruby. It's perfect, see?"

Yang and Weiss couldn't help but laugh. "Kid logic, eh?"

"Did you make sure Ruby has the T-I-C-K-E-T-S to the T-H-E-M-E-P-A-R-K?"

The confused looks on her children's faces was confirmation that they had not understood Weiss spelling out the details of their impending adventure, but they knew it involved them somehow. "Yeah, she's very excited about it."

"What's she excited about?"

"You'll see." Weiss kissed Reza on his small nose. "I think this will be the first weekend off work that Ruby's had in more than a year."

"She doesn't consider being a Huntress as actual work though, it's what she was born to do."

"You don't think that you might've had a little something to do with it? You make bedtime stories very exciting for the kids. I can't imagine that it was any different when you told Ruby those stories. This one is already telling me she wants to become a Huntress like Auntie Ruby."

"Yeah, she told me too. She's a little badass just like me." The moment she said it, Yen slipped out from under Weiss' arm and toddled off the bed, landing noisily on the wooden flooring. She didn't cry in pain, she just stood up and shook it off before running out of the door. Yang and Weiss were not worried, their kids were pretty much made of rubber in that aspect, bouncy and hard to break.

"Yang, I shouldn't have to remind you not to swear in front of them. Next thing you know, they'll copy your bad habits."

"Auntie Blake-y says bad words like shit."

His mothers' mouths opened in surprise. "Reza! Don't say that word again."

"But Auntie Blake said it."

Weiss pulled him closer into a death grip hug and rubbed the top of his head. "Yes, well, Auntie Blake is a grown up and uses grown up words and her mommy isn't around to tell her off for saying them."

"Yeah, she told us not to tell you but Auntie Ruby said it would be funny if we did."

"Auntie Ruby has a strange sense of humour."

"You're not wrong. I'm looking forward to seeing her later, if only for a few minutes. I miss her when she's away and doesn't remember to call. I still haven't got used to not having to take care of her in a way."

Reza wriggled out of Weiss' arms and dashed after his sister. "Do you ever think about how it would've been if we had stayed on the team?"

Yang hesitated, the thought hadn't crossed her mind in months. "Yeah, sometimes, I guess. But I couldn't imagine life without those little scamps, or you, for that matter. Why, are you not happy being Chief Executive Officer in training of the Schnee Dust Company?"

"I always try to weigh up which would be harder, working for my father and one day running the business myself, or risking my life on a frequent basis, fighting unending battles facing vicious Grimm."

"Which do you choose?"

Weiss' eyebrows tensed briefly. "It changes depending on the mood my father is in."

"I'm 100% certain which one I'd pick. I knew I couldn't do the Huntress thing once those two arrived. I could never make them go through what Ruby and I had to suffer growing up. The older they get, the happier I am with my choice."

"You were always the most motherly figure amongst us. It suits you, being a mom. You could've so easily become the best Huntress in Remnant."

Yang gave Weiss a peck on the cheek. "Thanks, hon. That means a lot. But I think that title would go to Pyrrha or Ruby whether I became a Huntress or not."

"Oh, my. Pyrrha Nikos, I haven't thought about her in years. I wonder how she's doing since her wedding."

"She's got a bun in the oven."

Weiss' eyes opened wide. "No way!"

"Yep. First one. Saw the announcement on Scrollmates."

"Wow. Good for her. She'll be keeping her job as a Huntress though, I take it."

"Yeah, I think she will. But she mainly teaches at Beacon now, so it's not like she'll be in life threatening danger, like Ruby always manages to get caught up in."

Their conversation got interrupted, as it often was, by Weiss' scroll beeping and flashing on the bedside table. She sighed and picked it up, reading the incoming message with a terse look on her face.

"All good things must come to an end, I suppose." She huffed and climbed out of bed. Yang's eyes followed her body to the dresser. Weiss had picked up a thing or two from Yang over the years, and her muscles had hardened beneath her cream-coloured skin. She would never achieve the sheer size that Yang had, but her abs were just as visible, if not more so than Yang's. Seeing the progress that Weiss had made filled Yang with pride, not because she helped, but because Weiss' relentless determination did not allow her to quit.

Weiss pulled out a hanger from their closet, fresh from the dry cleaners. "You ok to watch the kids while I pop to the office?"

Yang's forehead scrunched up with worry. "I thought you said no work today."

"I'll be an hour, tops. Then I'm all yours, promise."

"You better be, because Ruby and Blake should be turning up around then and I don't want to waste a single child-free minute without you."

Weiss dressed herself in pristine business attire, the material was soft and luxurious, but Weiss felt as if she was suiting up for war. The armour was useless against her father's sometimes cruel and biting words, but it helped Weiss to change her frame of mind to the leadership required for the managerial role she undertook at the SDC. She brought her A-game every single day without fail, or her father would put her through the wringer. It had taken some getting used to, but she could snap in and out of her office persona at will, and looking the part was the trigger she used to get into Chief Analytical Officer mode. The only thing that could break her well put-together image was the goodbye kiss that she shared with Yang everyday before she left, that would always melt the ice she had built up around her heart.

Yang washed and dressed the kids. She whipped them up a healthy breakfast; eating her own pre-prepared food, while making theirs. She tuned the TV to the early morning cartoons and gave them their plates while she dashed upstairs to shower and change into something presentable. She tidied up a bit, not that she cared what Ruby and Blake thought of the state of their house, but she didn't want Yen and Reza to realise which toys they were not taking with them. Plus it made her feel good to have everything neat and orderly for when they all came back home after travelling, a little something that had rubbed off on her from Weiss over the years.

Yang's maternal instincts were strong, she was good at anticipating whatever her children may need at any given time, so she packed Yen's favourite book next to her bedtime milk cartons, and she wrapped Reza's cuddly bear in his blankie. He was such a big softie, but he was so clever and quick-witted. He was way ahead of his classmates in all aspects of learning due to his inquisitive nature and powerful observational skills. He was the older of the two by 14 minutes, but Yen was definitely the more daring one. She was always the first down the slide in playgrounds, and wanted to leap the highest and the furthest, jumping head-first into trouble whenever she had the opportunity. Yang felt the protective urge to hold her back, keep her safe inside a bubble, but she could never bring herself to constrain Yen in any way. So Yang kissed the boo boos and bandaged the scraped knees and elbows and patiently wiped the tears away, telling the child how brave she was over and over again. When the tears were all cleaned away, Yen looked a lot like Yang did at that age, apart from the hair, but her personality was almost a carbon copy of Ruby.

Yang was extremely proud of them, and loved them both in equal measure. It was impossible to choose a favourite. But the kids had chosen their favourite and it was Weiss. They always rushed to her side when she arrived home from work and loved talking to her at dinner, they unquestioningly obeyed her and behaved just that little bit better when she was present. Weiss assured Yang that it was because they did not see her all the time, that they loved Yang probably even more than they did her, but they had no idea how to show it due to being around her all day long. The day that Yen fell and split her head open and had to be rushed to hospital, Weiss had the chance to feel smug about her reasoning, but she was little preoccupied with one of her babies needing emergency surgery. When the doctors explained to Yen that she could only take one parent into the operating theatre for her stitches, she chose Yang without skipping a beat. That little hand squeezing hers with its whole strength as the doctors sewed up the deep gash on her scalp was all the love Yang needed to feel, and she stopped being envious of the cuddles and kisses they showered on Weiss. She finished up her chores and sat with them, watching cartoons, and soon enough, they leant on her, and she was content with that.

Chief Analytical Officer Weiss Schnee, shareholder, board member, and director of the Schnee Dust Company, pulled up to the office skyscraper on her sleek motorcycle. Yang had given her the keys to the Viper on her birthday last year and Weiss could not have received a better gift. Where Yang's bike was a heavy, noisy hog, her bike was a lean, sculpted wildcat, built for speed and manoeuvrability. She loved the way she could snake through traffic, jumping the queues, and then competed with cars at the stop lights. The frame was a custom carbon fibre alloy, very light and strong, and the engine was oversized for the smaller-than-average bike, and it made Weiss feel like she was riding an out-of-control rocket. To tame such a powerful beast exhilarated Weiss. She immensely enjoyed pushing her limits on the bike, carving the corners aggressively and testing out the acceleration in drag races.

She did not bother parking in her usual space since she was not staying long, and tossed the keys to the valet. She removed her helmet and shook out her hair. She had done away with the tight ponytail of her younger days to accommodate the helmet, and instead sported a chic single side-shave. It was an impulsive decision this one time at the hairdresser, but she revelled in the way her father had hated it from the moment he saw it, so she maintained the short cut as an act of defiance. She kept her shades on once inside, and rode the elevator to her office wearing her game face. It was the kind of look that meant business but also that she did not care either way. She avoided eye contact, otherwise she would be laden with several hours' worth of things to do that she did not intend, and merely nodded politely to her staff who greeted her as she walked by.

She made it to the safety of her office and shut the door behind her. She shed her leathers and phoned her secretary to have them field her calls and also to bring her the paperwork that her father wanted signed. She stayed late last night to review it for the umpteenth time, making sure it was all sound. As Chief Analytical Officer, a position that her father instated upon hiring her, Weiss was a huge decision-maker for the SDC, and she was responsible for the collection and processing of huge amounts of data and to then translate it into research and science-backed calculations that emphasised the return on potential investment. Her opinion mattered, and since she had the figures to back her up, her father, more often than not, listened to her. She had changed the course of the SDC from a greedy, ever-expanding conglomerate to an almost benevolent energy corporation with a large stake in the research and development of less labour-intensive ways of mining Dust.

Her proudest achievement so far was proving that happy staff are more productive staff and that lead to major improvements in the working conditions of all employees of the SDC, most notably the Faunus doing the risky business of extracting raw Dust from the ground, giving them a fair wage and health insurance, finally treating them like people. A lot of workers were freed from unlawful zero-hours contracts, and staff turnover was at its highest ever level since the incorporation of the company. Productivity dropped at first as a result, but it stabilised as the positions were filled by people who actually wanted the job. The upbeat morale of these new willing workers and the reshuffling of middle management helped to hit revenue targets like shooting fish in a barrel, and within a year revenue had doubled, and then again the next year. Rolling on from that great feat, she steered the PR machine to publicise the drastic overhaul of the working practises at the SDC. The stocks rose 40 points overnight, and the dividends paid out to the shareholders at the AGM, including herself and Yang, who was also a shareholder for tax purposes, covered Yen and Reza's school fees for the next five years.

Unfortunately, it was not all sunshine and rainbows, as she had to tackle the issues she had with the weapons manufacturing in which the SDC partook. The small saving grace of that was she could put her knowledge from her Huntress training to good use, and suggested designers that would make the weapons more efficient and deadly. The Atlas military ate it up like candy, and she received a massive bonus that paid for their house outright and the deposits of several high-value buy-to-let properties which they rented out to generate yet more income. Her father had been surprised but impressed with her investment decisions. All that, and she had directly increased the SDC's profit margin by 18.4% in a year, which made her father very pleased with her indeed.

Her latest project, or more accurately, one of her many current projects, was to bring some order to the chaos that was communication between the IT department and everything single other part of the business. Weiss knew enough about technology for her father to concede her superior knowledge in that particular area, and he was testing her diplomacy skills in the task he had given her. All the data indicated that the IT department experienced a bottleneck when receiving requests, and had many skilled service providers, but who were left idle as the details of problems were not passed to them correctly or at all. She had a few ideas of how to rectify this problem, refined them vigorously with her 12-strong team of senior analysts, and out of the results, she had cherry picked three options to consider. Weighing out the pros and cons of each had been agonising as they all came with their own merits and downfalls. Her one task today was to make the executive decision, and affect the lives of hundreds of staff members, some positive and some negative.

She put it off for a while, and read her email. She literally received hundreds of emails a day that required her attention, but many were fairly trivial and those she forwarded onto her secretary to deal with. That left a score of meaty messages that she could really sink her teeth into, and she began to draft replies, using erudite language befitting her job title, but she was not going to send them today. They could wait a weekend while it was her anniversary. She checked the motion sensitive clock on her Chronoscroll and the timepiece projected laser numbers on the back of her hand, it was nearly time to go back home to Yang. The thought of seeing her wife spurred her in action and she calmly chose the favourite of the plans laid out before her, signing her name to the document and having her secretary make copies and deliver it to the relevant board members.

As she stood up to go, the phone rang and she glared at the offending device, disgusted with it that it dare delay her. The small screen on the handset informed her that her father was calling. She groaned in annoyance but was obliged to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Weiss." She relaxed, for once he did not sound stressed or angry which was a massive relief.

"Good morning, father. What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to wish you a happy anniversary. I hope you enjoy your weekend away." It was a nice thing to say, to give his regards and congratulate her on her anniversary, but she heard the edge in his voice. She knew it meant that her time away from the office was a begrudging privilege, not a right she was entitled to, and it would be some time before she would be able to leave again. When she returned, it would be back to gruelling 60-hour working weeks.

"Thanks, dad." she said flatly, not giving her father the satisfaction of knowing that she was affected by her heavy workload. She missed her family terribly, and truly cherished any moment she spent with them, but in the end, everything she did was for them, and she made sure they did not want for nothing. Yang had told her on many occasions that the most precious commodity she could give them was her time, so she did her best to have a lunch hour away from her desk, and spend it with Yang and the kids, or drop the kids off at daycare and have some scarce alone time with Yang. That was why she was so looking forward to the weekend, a whole two days with just her and the woman of her dreams, to spend as they desired. It would be paradise.

"If there's nothing else, I must go or I'll miss my flight."

"That's all I wanted to say. Really, I want you to have a good time. I'll speak to you on Monday."

"Thank you. See you Monday."

"Oh, and Weiss, you'll be available on your scroll, won't you?"

"Of course, father." she said, and bid him goodbye. She switched off her scroll's network link there and then, so she would be uncontactable. Smiling, she left her office, picked up her vehicle from the valet and sped home. As she turned into her driveway, she noticed Ruby and Blake approaching the porch. Her loud motor attracted their attention and they turned to her and waved as she dismounted her sport bike and removed her visored helmet. Ruby was on her like a shot, forcing an enormous bouquet of flowers into her hands, wrapping two lanky arms around her. Ruby had grown a lot since Beacon, as a person and also vertically. She was the same height as Blake now, who seemed much older and wiser than her ID card would suggest.

"Oh my god, Weiss! It's been so long! I love your hair, you shaved half of it off, it's freaking awesome."

"Thanks, Ruby." Weiss smiled over Ruby's shoulder, maybe Ruby had not changed that much. "I've missed you."

"Really?" Ruby leaned out of the hug in surprise.

"Of course, you dolt. I dare assume by your hyperactive display of affection that you missed me too." she said, and triggered Blake to snigger a bit. "Blake." Weiss made no more remark than that one simple name in acknowledgement of one of her dearest friends.

"Weiss." Blake nodded her head towards Weiss, and held up a magnum of Dom Pérignon. They let an awkward pause expand between them, but between such old friends nothing was really that awkward, and they dropped all their pretences and hugged it out. They let go and Weiss pulled out her keyring.

"Well, shall we?" She unlocked the door, but Ruby managed to get there first to open it.

"Hey, hey, guess who." Ruby sang as she opened the door.

"Auntie Ruby!" the children sang back.

"Hello, Reza. Is that really you? Look how big you are!" Ruby measured the top of his head in comparison to herself with her hand, and she gasped. "You've grown so much since I last saw you, what have they been feeding you?" She picked him up and swung him around before trapping him in a cuddle as he shrieked in delight. "Ugh, you're heavy too!"

Yen reached up to grab Blake's finger and tugged on it. "Auntie Blake-y, I mean Auntie Blake."

"Hey there, Yen." Blake knelt down to be face-level with the five-year old. "Do you have a new book to show me?"

"Yeah, it's in my bag. Ma, where's my bag?"

"Show me later, we can read it together."

"Ma said I'm a badass!" That made Blake smile somewhat guiltily, but it was genuine all the same.

"Yang!" Ruby put Reza down on his feet and ran towards her sister to smother her in a tight cuddle.

Yang returned the hug in earnest. "Hey Ruby! It's been far too long, I'm so glad to see you."

"Yeah, sorry about that, sis. I've been doing stuff for Beacon, travelling the world, fighting bad guys and killing Grimm, oh, and baking tons of cookies!"

"Cookies? I thought you were going to bring some over."

"She made a batch specially for Yen and Reza, but they didn't survive the trip." Blake said, as she passed the magnum over to Yang before hugging her best friend and former partner.

"Typical." Yang thanked Blake for the bottle of bubbly and went to go put it in the fridge. When she came back, Ruby and Blake were on the floor playing with Yen and Reza in the living room.

"There was a box of chocolates for the two of you but they met the same fate as the cookies."

"I figure we can make some together after we come back from the them-"

Yang rushed to put her hand over Ruby's mouth and shushed her. "We don't want them to know where they're going, it's a surprise." Ruby nodded with understanding and Yang let her talk again.

"You all ready and packed for your trip?"

"Yep, two days at the beach full of stress-free rest, sun, sand, just the two of us."

"Weiss, how did you manage to get the weekend off?"

"It's our anniversary. I persuaded my father to see reason."

"I can't believe it's been four years since you got married. Seems like only yesterday we were at your wedding."

"I know right, they were still in diapers. Time sure flies, and they grow up so fast."

"They were so cute in their wedding outfits." Yang's eyes flicked to the photo on the mantelpiece of them at the wedding. Reza and Yen were wearing baby versions of bride and groom clothes, it was so adorable. They stole the whole show with their darling little getups, but at least everyone agreed that Yang and Weiss were radiant, their happiness multiplying their beauty tenfold.

"So, how've you guys been? Still with the same team?"

"Yup yup, still with Team RVBY. Yale is still a troublemaker, and Vox keeps our spirits high with her singing."

"Is she better than Weiss though? That's the real question."

"She's, uh, different." Ruby stuttered.

Weiss stiffened up and pursed her lips. Yang put two tentative hands on Weiss' tensed up arms in an attempt to soothe her. "Yikes, maybe that was the wrong answer."

Ruby was about to back-pedal madly, but Blake saved her the effort. "Vox has a flair for the dramatic, she has a song for everything but I think you have a larger vocal range." That worked to appease Weiss. Ruby let out a silent 'phew'.

"Well, it sounds like you have great team chemistry. No wonder Ozpin sends you out on all the dangerous spy missions, he knows he's got a winner with you lot."

"Yang, shhh!" Ruby covered Reza's ears with her hands. "You're not supposed to know about that."

"Listen, I know it's great to schmooze and catch up, but if you don't leave soon, you'll miss your flight." Blake pointed out.

Before the front door had clicked closed, Yang and Weiss embraced, lips connected in fiery passion. They were still as hot for each other as when they first got together, perhaps even more so as they did not have as much time alone together due to Weiss' work commitments and their kids constantly being around. Any opportunity was going to be taken full advantage of with great enthusiasm.

"Do you think we have time?" Yang said, in between kisses.

"Just a quickie."

"Good, I love stripping you out of that leather." she purred. Yang swept Weiss off her feet, and carried her up to their bedroom.

Within 20 minutes, they were re-clothed, and Weiss was checking that they had everything packed for the third time. They loaded up their top-of-the-range SUV with Yang's weekend bag and Weiss' three suitcases and drove to the airport. They checked in using the VIP queue, handed over their luggage at baggage control, and breezed through security without a hitch, no doubt thanks in part to Weiss' infamous surname. Weiss was dying for a coffee so Yang wandered around the duty-free by herself. She picked stuff up, considered buying it for Weiss, and then put it all down again. Weiss had everything, it was hard to pick gifts for her. Luckily, Yang had something good hidden at the bottom of her bag which she planned to give to Weiss in their hotel room. She walked out of the shop empty handed, and tried to remember which barista Weiss had gone to, but something made her stop and stare.

Yang still found it surreal when she saw any of image of herself in print. She craned her neck to look up at the backlit billboard showing her photographed from behind, naked but for barely-there bikini bottoms, kneeling in front of the latest model car she was promoting, and was twisted at the waist to wink back at the camera. They had superimposed more photos of her posing on the car, all sexy and sultry, but the main focus was the centre image. She had dieted down to extremely low levels of bodyfat with a carefully calculated nutrition plan to spare as much muscle mass as possible, and post-editing had enhanced her body even further. Her silhouette drawn by the headlights of the flash little sports car was insane; plump, rounded booty at the bottom, extremely cut midsection, showing off obliques and a tiny hint of a six pack, and her wide, powerful shoulders finishing off the hourglass shape. She had her arms up above her head, further contributing to her V-taper, with her hands holding her long hair up a bit to show a tantalising glimpse of some epic underboob. Compared to Yang now, who was much thicker of limb and waist and with fuller cheeks, it was like looking at a different person.

Weiss approached from behind her, two coffees in hand, but noticed her odd expression. "Well, that's an attractive picture. Nice tight curves, good lines, sex appeal." Yang gave her a weird look through the corner of her eye. "The girl looks nice too." Weiss added with a cheeky half-smile.

Yang narrowed her eyes at the massively public advertisement of her butt. "Think I look good there?"

"Fishing for compliments?" Weiss arched a neatly plucked eyebrow.

"I see all my flaws on show. A little bit of fat here, my face is gross since my cheeks are hollow because I'm so lean there, my hair isn't the way I like it, it's all straight and under control. In every shot, I'm doing that dumb pouty thing like a gormless but really slutty fish. I remember being completely exhausted during the photoshoot, that diet really did a number on me."

"Trust me when I tell you that no one else sees it the same way. They see a gorgeous blonde with a body to die for, a cheeky smile and a naughty gleam in her eyes, and, if you squint really hard, sometimes you can see a car in the background."

"What do you see?"

"I see a model working hard for a living. I know it's you under all the make-up and lighting and editing, and yes, there is a lot of skin on show, but I can separate the business-you from the real-you."

Yang remained silent as they walked past the advertisement, only to be met with another, this time exhibiting the vitamin properties of a mineral-enriched smoothie. At least this one only showed her head and Yang was smiling, looking much healthier, an implied effect of the smoothie. It was a common theme to see Yang's face plastered all over many product endorsements throughout the airport. She was not the stay-at-home mom that she liked to be seen as, she knew how to graft and use the gifts her mother gave her. Her winning smile was a show-stopper and if that didn't do the trick, then sex always sells. Yang worked three, maybe four at most, months of the year and she raked in a tidy sum from modelling and sponsorships. Not nearly as much as Weiss brought home obviously, but easily triple what she could have earned working as a Huntress. They tried not to pamper Yen and Reza with their abundant wealth too much, but that was an exercise in futility, and they were the most spoilt children that Weiss had ever known, including herself.

They found their way to their departure gate and waited in the first class lounge. They were joined by a family of four, several businessmen and women, and a few couples, one older and the other two fairly young-looking as if they were on their honeymoon. Yang noticed the older child of the family had her eyes fixed firmly upon them, and she smiled politely at the girl. The girl seemed embarrassed she had been caught staring, and looked away. Yang turned her attention back to Weiss. Even though they were not saying anything, she was so easily wrapped up by her.

"Are you her?" the teenager pointed above them. Another poster showing Yang wearing a trendy waterproof jacket and leggings emblazoned with the logo of the her sports brand, WTD. It actually meant 'Win The Day' but Yang preferred to call it 'What The Dust'. Fortunately, she had a good relationship with the promoters so they had once used her favoured phrase on a humorous campaign a few years back, and it catapulted her up the fame ranks. She appeared on TV spots, doing breakfast and talk shows, and she always made mention of how devoted she was to her kids, even though the interviewers wanted to push the discussion towards her relationship with Weiss Schnee. The teenage girl was wearing an overcoat and jeans from Yang's premium fashion brand, Superfly. Unlike many celebrities, Yang was not bothered by interacting with fans, she did her best to treat them all equally and with respect, and she spent the very few spare moments she had replying to DMs on Scrollmates.

"Guilty."

"And are you Weiss Schnee?" Weiss nodded. "Wow, can I have a selfie?"

Yang and Weiss caught each other's eye, and they grinned. Yang turned back to the girl who had her scroll out, camera app open and ready to go. She knelt down between them and held her arm at the perfect angle to take a flattering photo. The youth was clearly a selfie expert, and took a burst of photos to choose the best one to upload for all her mates to see. They posed for another one, this time making funny faces, although Weiss' was similar to her duck-face. ΩBangaYangXL ΩWeissSchnee #VIPLounge #Cruisingwithcelebs

The mother trotted over, and directed the girl back to the sofa that the family had occupied. "Sorry to have disturbed you."

"It's no trouble."

"Thank you for that. My daughter follows you on Scrollmates. She talked me into buying your workout videos, best thing I've ever done. I've lost twenty pounds already."

"Wow, congratulations. Honestly, it's really amazing to hear that, I'm so pleased it helped you."

"Where are you off to? If you don't mind me asking."

"A vacation in Vacuo. It's our anniversary."

"Oh, congratulations to you as well. That sounds lovely. It's really nice this time of year, not too hot, not too cold, just right."

"Yeah, a friend recommended we travel down now."

"So how did you two meet?"

Lilac eyes met blue ones, as they recalled the story that seemed so long ago.


	2. Chapter 1: A Blonde Walks Into A Bar

**Chapter 1: A Blonde Walks Into a Bar**

It was no secret that Yang liked bars.

She stood at one, waiting impatiently to be served her favourite cocktail - a Strawberry Sunrise - at her latest haunt. Grabbing the colourful drink, she stuck the straw in her mouth and polished off the whole thing in less than ten seconds. She slid the empty glass to the barman who had barely turned around, and nodded as a signal for him to get her another. The next one arrived much quicker.

She turned around, leaning back against the bar, drink in hand and surveyed the dance club she had discovered through serendipity. The disco lights rainbowed all over her and the pulsating crowd, but her purple eyes were used to it. The DJ was on fire tonight, spinning tune after tune of bassy electro dance music, Yang found it easy to move to, and she often found herself at the centre of attention when she did. Tonight, though, she was bored. It was too familiar, the barman knew her face but not her name, the doorman let her in without hesitation, and the regulars were getting too friendly. She no longer found it fun, but somehow she kept winding up at this place all the same.

"Yo, how you doin', beautiful? You look lonely, where's your boyfriend tonight?" A man, wearing a tight shirt with an open collar, leaned towards her to shout over the music. He also used the opportunity to stare down her top.

She eyed his face cautiously, trying to figure out whether she had met him before. He seemed awfully familiar and apparently, he knew her 'boyfriend'. "Which one?" she quipped, "I don't have a boyfriend."

"You serious? Fine thing like you and no one to go home with?"

Yang looked him up and down, "Why, you want a piece of me? Think you're worthy of my attention?"

Her forwardness seemed to catch him off-guard, he had clearly planned a neat segue into asking her for her Scrollmates PIN which she had ruined with her brazen response. "Yeah. You wanna ditch this joint and go somewhere a bit more private?"

"I know a little place nearby."

'Nearby' turned out to be a metre away from the fire exit back door of the club. She led him not far from the light pooling at the bottom of the alleyway's lone lamppost and pressed a kiss on his mouth that unapologetically blew his mind. She sucked all the air out of him, left him gasping for breath, so that he clung onto her and pulled desperately at her clothes. He was riled up and raring to go.

"Wow, you certainly don't," he gulped nervously as she unzipped his jeans, "waste any," her hand made its way into his boxer shorts and grabbed hold of his rapidly hardening shaft, "time." He looked down in disbelief as the sexy, smirking blonde pulled him out of his pants and sank to her knees in front of him.

"If you touch my hair, I'll fucking kill you."

She saw the fear flash in his eyes. At least he knew not to fuck with her, especially with his dick sliding into her hot, wet mouth. He was unsure of where to put his hands so he clasped a finger and thumb around the base of his cock as an impromptu cock ring, while the other hand settled on her shoulder.

After several minutes, he gasped as something slippery and cold surrounded his skin as she slipped on a condom. The action was so quick and smooth, he barely noticed and lost the opportunity to complain. She could not make it any more obvious that it was blatantly not her first time. He stared into her dazzling purple eyes, and she stared right back before dropping her gaze to his wrapped hard-on with a cocked eyebrow, wordlessly telling him he had her permission as if her actions were not enough. He nodded, knowing exactly what she wanted.

There was nowhere for them to lie, so Yang undid the buttons of her shorts and pulled them down around her ankles along with her panties. She bent over for him and braced herself against the wall, while he fumbled around trying to find her entrance with the tip of his boner. He explored her exposed area, stimulating her wet folds, a shudder of anticipation made her butt wiggle pleasingly. He ran his finger down her slit and pushed it inside her to guide him. She sighed at the intrusion and her inner walls flexed, bringing her a small taste of the gratifying, lewd friction she craved so badly. Her needs were fulfilled as she felt him press his member into her ready-and-waiting cunt, penetrating her with only the slightest pain.

He let out an animalistic wild noise as he pushed his cock further and further into her searing hot pussy. His chest trembled with laboured breathing, but his hips were strong and solid, and he begun to pound into her, eliciting a moan from her that made him thrust with more gusto and leaked a few droplets of pre-cum into the teat of the rubber. Yang laughed, and began to grind her hips into his, her bare butt slamming against his lower abs. He snaked a hand to her clit and rubbed it briefly, before hooking his hand in the crease of her hips to push himself in deeper. He slid in and out of her with short, hard thrusts, and she placed her arms a little lower on the wall and arched her back to make it easier for him.

She felt the exquisite pressure building from her core, and used her fingers on her clit to bring herself to a quick and dirty orgasm. He said something vulgar, but she did not hear him. He re-entered her and began his final sprint.

It occurred to Yang that she had not asked his name, but it was not like she cared. They were not in the most intimate position, and as he thrust into her, she realised that she could not picture his face and probably would not be able to pick the right man out of a line-up. She shook the thought out of her head and wished he would hurry the fuck up.

Her scroll buzzed from inside her bra, the vibrations sent tingles down where it mattered. Without looking, she knew who was calling. Saved by the ringtone, she stood up abruptly and disconnected from the man.

"Gotta go, my boyfriend is here."

"I thought you said-" He stood there like a fool, with his bulbous cock hanging down between his legs.

"Thanks for warming me up before the main event." She squat down and ripped her panties off, and used the material to wipe a bit of the moisture on her cunt and chucked them at him. After pulling her shorts up, she walked back into the club and shut the door behind her. By the time he had sorted himself out and yanked his trousers back up, she was lost to him. The fire exit could only be opened from the inside.

Yang stumbled back into her dorm around midnight, still tipsy from the evening's shenanigans. Her partner, Blake Belladonna, had learned to stay awake reading until just the right time when Yang would make her conspicuous entrance. Yang stripped her outer jacket, and tossed it in haphazard heap on the floor near her closet. She heard Weiss tut as she got woken up. Ruby was not affected by the noise and continued to snooze, but she was not spared from Yang's disturbance for long. Without having to open her eyes, Weiss knew what was about to happen. Hearing Yang's footsteps coming closer, she rolled her eyes beneath her eyelids and snapped, "shoes off!"

"Oh yeah." Yang's boots clattered to the ground. She planted her foot on the edge of Weiss' bed, and climbed up to shake Ruby awake. Sometimes, like tonight, Yang's tank top would ride up and reveal her taut skin stretched over her prominent abdominals. Weiss counted six bricks of solid muscle, not an ounce of fat in sight. Yang's abs were legendary. Weiss did not know if her team shared the inclination to feel rather privileged at seeing them all the time, but she certainly enjoyed the show until the drunken lout became a nuisance.

"Ruby, can I bunk with you tonight?" she whispered. Yang was clearly labouring under the illusion that her other teammates were asleep.

Ruby was rendered light-headed from the fumes of alcohol on Yang's breath. "Ugh, you smell like Uncle Qrow."

"Let me in, sis. I always let you into my bed."

"Yang, I haven't asked to sleep in your bed since I was nine."

"Yeah I know, because now you climb in without asking." Yang grabbed the edge of her blanket and tried to shake it loose of Ruby's death grip. She made Weiss bed shake, and the heiress huffed and rolled over so her back was to Yang.

Ruby twisted it sharply away from Yang. "You're drunk, go away."

Yang feigned being hurt. "Awwww, don't be mean, Ruby."

"This is the second time this week that you've come back late, reeking of alcohol, and it's only Tuesday. It's better at weekends when you stay out all night and let us sleep in peace. Go sleep in your own bed."

"Please, Ruby. I'm lonely." That was perhaps more private and emotional than Yang had intended. Her vision blurred, although nothing to do with the cocktails she consumed, hot, stinging tears were threatening to fall down her cheeks.

"Don't do the face. Oh my god, you're doing the face." Yang did not make a conscious decision to weaponize her feelings, and make Ruby the guilty one, but that is exactly what happened. "That's my face, I invented it." Ruby sighed and lifted up her blanket to let Yang slip underneath. "You're such a big, blonde pain in the ass and you're like 200 degrees, now I'm too hot. Damn that face, why did I make it so effective?"

"Zwei invented it, not you. Anyway, quit complaining, I know you loves me really." Yang slurred.

"Yeah, yeah. I prefer you sober when given the choice. How many drinks did you have? You know, it wouldn't kill you to stay in at least one night a week." Ruby turned around to glare harshly at Yang, who had not responded. Because she was already unconscious, probably dreaming of the next night at the bar.

In the morning before dawn, Yang's head pounded when she awoke. In her sleep, she had squashed Ruby and pushed her right to the edge of the bed. The poor thing was lying in a puddle of sweat, but she did not throw Yang off. In fact, she held her arm like a comforting teddy where it had been laying between them. Yang was careful to remove herself from Ruby's comforters and sat on the edge while she blinked back the tiredness. Being a teenager, it was easy for Yang to live through a hangover and function pretty well, but getting up in the mornings was a different matter. Swallowing a yawn, she forced herself to drop to the floor with the silence of a ninja cat, and got a large drink of water to rehydrate herself. This was the first step of her very secret ritual.

There was another bar that Yang was fond of. The barbell. And it called her name. Particularly with very heavy weights attached that she would lift up and then put down again in a controlled and precise manner. She went to shower and change into a sports bra and her favourite compression tights and chugged a quick protein shake.

Beacon's gym had been overlooked when they last renovated the building and all the equipment and machines were at least 30 years old. Yang liked it the way it was, dusty, dirty, underground. That meant hardly anyone used it.

She had tried to workout in the evenings when Cardin and his cronies came to train, but she was put off by their stares and catcalls when she deadlifted or squatted. Headphones were no help because she could see them leering at her in the mirrors when she was meant to be concentrating on her form. Obviously, male attention was not something that Yang tended to shy away from, but it was too distracting when she had more than twice her bodyweight on her back.

Yang discovered lifting because a serious ankle injury put her out of action in her martial arts class for almost six months. So in order to keep her fitness levels up, she started to use the gym. It took less than a day for Yang to become addicted to the iron game, she went back later the same day and trained again, and kept going back even after she returned to her martial arts lessons. Her ankle was never the same, so she leant more towards boxing skills, even though she could kick if she needed to.

Yang opened the door to her gym and placed her towel and water down beside the heavy bag. She warmed up briefly with the skipping rope and did a few stretches before pummelling the shit out of the heavy bag. It had many poorly sewn up rips where she had torn the leather with her fists, but it would always be repaired if she asked one of the teachers nicely. She would work up a light sweat on the bag and then move on to the second part of her warm up. The exercise she did now was specific to each workout that she did, to bring blood into her working muscles and lubricate her joints. Heavy lifting takes a toll on knees, hips, and shoulders so it was in her best interest to warm them up properly.

The squat rack was rusty, but it did the job. Yang moved under the empty bar with practised grace and took its weight onto her shoulders. Her deltoids were a bit sore from her workout yesterday so they complained from the stretch when she got into position. Yang's form was perfect on every single one of her 20 reps. The 45lb bar was nothing to her. She added two large weight plates to either end of the barbell, making a total of 135lb. Again, this weight was easily repped for 20. It was still her warm up. She could tell that her legs were pumped from that set, her thighs were straining against the strong, stretchy fabric of her leggings, and she was ready for her working sets.

She took a sip of water and began to load up the bar with a couple more plates. Sweat was sticking her hair to her back, so she swept it up in a messy bun on top of her head. Yang would never do that in front of other people, but it was necessary during heavy squats as the knurling on the bar had the tendency to break her precious hairs if she left it loose.

She took a deep breath and stood up beneath the barbell, now feeling the strain of the 225lbs across her trapezius. Still, her form was perfect for the 10 reps she performed. Her lats were tight and her core was continuously stabilised throughout the movement. Her glutes and hamstrings were firing her out of the hole with relative ease. She released the bar back on the rack and took her first rest, A 60 second break to slow down her breathing and then she had another 10 reps with the same weight. By the seventh rep, she was breathing hard and needed a moment to get her stance correct again. Her quads were beginning to ache with the repeated work, but this was only the beginning.

315lb was her next set, but only five reps. Yang heaved the bar up and down, again and again, but her knees were starting to shake and the reps were slower on the way up. Still she managed five good ones, and hefted the weight back onto the rack. She allowed herself 90 seconds rest this time. But it was hardly inactivity, as Yang was busy getting herself more water from the grimy fountain and getting two 25lb plates that had found their way to the other side of the gym. She slid them on and secured the clips. She also wrapped her knees for protection. She was breathing so hard, there was no chance she could get her heart rate back to normal. Her precious 90 seconds were up and she was back under the bar.

This weight would snap most people's backs in an instant but Yang held it well and, even though it was uncomfortable, it was not difficult. She slowly pushed her butt back, bent her knees, and lowered herself steadily into the squat position. She felt strong now and exploded upwards to complete her first rep. Yang took a deep breath and went down again. Her second rep was ok, not brilliant but passable. Her form faltered slightly on her third and her hips raised faster than her torso so she had to give a little burst with her back to get upright. She shook her head to indicate that she had failed the rep. She re-racked the weight, and rested against the side for half a minute. She gave her muscles the chance to clear some of the painful lactic acid build up, and gain some energy back, then took the bar on her shoulders again. She sucked in a huge lungful of air, grit her teeth and squatted. The next rep was better.

Her final set was single rep of more weight than she had ever squatted before. She added her 10lb using the smallest plates in the gym. Yang waited two full minutes, psyching herself up to do it. She was scared, she could see it in her own eyes. She focussed on her cues for the lift: butt back, bend knees, heels flat, core braced, lats engaged, head up, fire glutes and hip thrust. Yang positioned herself and gave herself a little nod. She was ready.

Just holding the weight made her legs feel weak. She stayed within the safety bars of the rack so that if she were to fail, the rack would catch the bar and save her spine from being crushed, turning her into a permanent resident of Snap City. Yang descended, a little too fast, but it was decent form and she found herself in the hole with 375lb on top of her. Only her legs could save her or she would fail. Her knees were shaking and she was wobbling slightly on her dodgy ankle.

'Come on, Yang. Light weight, baby,' her inner voice encouraged.

Her glutes activated and she was on her way up. Her hamstrings kicked in and her quads pushed, her hips rose even further. She held her trunk upright and steady. It was happening. She felt like she had this strength all along.

'Come on, Yang! It's just a few more pounds.' That was Ruby's voice, pushing her, leading her. She had reached the sticking point and this was it, make or break.

'Up! Up! Up!' she urged herself and it gave her the strength she needed. The weight felt like it was nothing but a peanut. There, Yang was standing in disbelief with a barbell on her back and a personal record in the bag. She gratefully racked the weight and celebrated her success with a carefree victory dance.

Yang looked around at the empty gym; she still had a lot of work to do. Lunges were first on the agenda so Yang grabbed the heaviest kettlebells they had in the gym in each hand and took wide lunge steps all around the edge of the gym. Yang was now fully drenched in sweat, and her hair was in a state. But she kept going, round and round. Her accessory work was not as important than the main lifts, but Yang found it more fun. After lunges, she had glute bridges and stiff-legged deadlifts, step ups and leg extensions, leg press and leg curls, all done together as mini-circuits or supersets to completely fatigue her leg muscles and spur them into growth.

The sun was beginning to rise by the time she had done, so she had a quick shower and chugged another protein shake to refuel and she went back to bed, in her own bunk this time. Yang loved to sleep almost as much as she loved bars so she made sure to get a short nap in after her training to kick-start the growth process. The nap was better than coffee in respect of keeping her energised, and she was up with her teammates at 7, all bright-eyed and Yang-like. She pretended that nothing happened last night, and they did too. They were too busy waking up for the first time, and simply accepted the fact that Yang was always cheerful in the morning. Yang had been trying for that personal best for several weeks, and today she finally got it, so her smile was extra dazzling.

"What's got you in such a good mood, sis?" Ruby asked as they walked to breakfast together.

"Oh, nothing," Yang chirped instantly. Ruby raised her eyebrow but said nothing. Yang loved Ruby. Obviously, they were sisters. But Ruby always wanted to do things together as sisters, and Yang wanted no one to disturb her special time at her favourite bar, not even Ruby. If just one person found out that she went to the gym in the mornings, other people would want to as well and her pre-dawn private gym session would no longer be a thing.

Sometimes she thought that it would be helpful to have a gym partner to train with, someone who pushed her past the point of comfort, and for safety, could spot her on the more dangerous exercises. Blake had never shown any interest in physical training, except for fighting, and even then she took a more theoretical approach before putting anything into practise. Ruby split Yang down the middle, on the one hand, she would be an excellent gym partner due to her leadership skills, providing encouragement for Yang without stroking her ego too much. But Ruby was not a quiet and intensely focussed sort of person, the kind that Yang needed to concentrate on her lifts, Ruby would get distracted and confuse Yang.

Giving consideration to the other teams, Pyrrha and Nora were already partnered up, and having three people sharing equipment often meant that the trainee with nothing to do was left to cool down. Yang needed more intensity than that. They had tried it once and they could not stop gossiping in their excitement over training together that they hardly anything got done that night. Jaune, pfft, that thought was just ridiculous. Yang could out-lift him with her left pinky finger. That left one remaining teammate.

Yang knew that Weiss went to the gym in the evenings. She looked kind of cute in her matching white and blue leggings and crop top, but all she did was jog on the treadmill and lift the small dumbbells that were lighter than her sword. She had tried to explain how pointless that was as a lead-in to ask Weiss to try out weightlifting, but Weiss cut her off saying that her semblance made her so strong that she could not possibly know anything about trying to get stronger. Yang gave up on the idea of a gym buddy after that.

Yang really enjoyed breakfast, it was her post-workout meal so she was always hungry for it - a large, steaming pile of cooked jentacular food. The first time Weiss saw her eat, her eyes bulged comically at the size of the portions on Yang's plate. And Yang always ate like a character in a Ghibli movie.

The most important macronutrient on Yang's plate was, of course, protein. She had piled it high with half a dozen rashers of bacon and half a dozen eggs, which provided essential fats as well. Yang had another plate of pancakes and maple syrup waiting for when she finished that, providing her carbs and cooling down to the side of that was a huge steaming bowl of old-fashioned steel-cut oats to which Yang added a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter. All in all, Yang consumed more calories at breakfast than Weiss did all day and somehow, Weiss was the one who felt she needed to be on a diet constantly.

Yang zoned out Weiss and Ruby bickering about something and concentrated on munching all her food before it got cold. Blake sat beside her reading her scroll tuned to the Vale news feed. Yang knew that her partner only pretended to read many of the articles, she was searching mainly for news about the White Fang. Blake took a sharp intake of breath and put down her coffee cup with a loud noise, disturbing Yang from her feast.

"What is it?" Yang said, swallowing her last mouthful of pancakes.

"Just more coverage of the spike in Grimm attacks. A Beowolf loose in downtown Vale. I don't understand, isn't this what Huntsmen are paid for?"

Yang began shovelling porridge into her mouth, and made a sound in agreement with Blake. "Another attack, two civilians dead and another injured," she muttered to herself. Blake shut off her scroll rather quickly. "Have you had a chance to study for Oobleck's test?"

Yang hid behind her spoon. "No, I didn't get round to it. It's all right, though. I'll just wing it."

"Yang, I don't mean to sound like Goodwitch, but the last time you did that, you got an F. The only people who did worse than you were Cardin and Jaune and that was only because Pyrrha was away for a tournament and couldn't help him. It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't make us both retake the test."

"I'm sorry, Blake. I know you thought it was a waste of time."

"It's not just a waste of time, I'm trying to help you. You have to pass at least 70% of the exams in order to be a Huntress, and not all of them will be combat assessments. The tests are only going to get harder."

"I know that."

"Do you?" Blake stood up. "I read the material we were assigned while you were out last night, partying." Weiss and Ruby looked up from their conversation.

"It's just a bit of fun, Blake. Maybe you should give it a go some time."

"We all like to have fun, sis." Yang's eyes turned to Ruby with a gleam of fire in them. Yes, Ruby was the team leader, but Yang was the older one and she was not pleased in the slightest to have her younger sister talk down to her. "But this year is turning out to be much more difficult than last year. You didn't do any of the recommended reading during the summer, so you've been playing catch up all semester. Isn't it time you stopped acting like a kid and started working hard like the rest of us?" Weiss was nodding along with Ruby and giving Yang the standard Schnee frown.

A lot of insulting words threatened to come up Yang's throat in retaliation but she gulped them down. She had the power to make Ruby feel so small and worthless, but she refrained. After all, Ruby had let her in bed when she needed human contact, and although she grumbled about it, she knew Ruby did not really mind. "I do work hard, I work really hard, ok!"

"At what, drinking?" Weiss snapped at her.

"NO." In truth, Yang never really got that drunk. She was always within the limit to legally ride her motorcycle back to Beacon at the end of the night and plus, being hungover was not particularly a good idea if you want to workout in the morning. It only seemed that she was some crazy party girl because she knew how to let loose and be wild, and she didn't need alcohol for that. Yang narrowed her eyes at Blake.

"I don't have the time to do everything. I need to go out at night, it's how I relax and unwind, without it I'd go crazy." Blake sighed in exasperation. "Hey! It's my fun time, like when you read those dirty books!" Blake blushed and her mouth opened, dumbstruck. Ruby and Weiss looked at each other but kept their eyes down.

Yang was stood up as well and was gripping the edge of the table so hard that the wood was creaking and about to crack. She let go and folded her arms before she inflicted any permanent damage. There was an extremely uncomfortable silence at the table that even Ruby dare not break.

"Fine, I'll study for the damn test."

Yang left her room temperature, uneaten food, and her team mates, behind. There were only a handful of students at Beacon that could part a crowd. Cardin thought he was one of them, but he would be shoved aside when one of the truly infamous students walked through the corridors. Pyrrha, high upon her pedestal of superstar athlete status, could draw applause by the mere mention of her name and her presence would form a sort of red carpet, everyone automatically arranging themselves into neat rows for their favourite celebrity. Weiss Schnee, the heiress and resident Ice Queen, would sometimes allow boys to prostrate themselves on the floor in front of her so she did not have to walk on the filthy ground like a peasant. An angry Yang, known for her explosive properties, could make people run for their lives, effectively scattering a crowd. At this moment, she was not at the point of anger yet, but she was borderline and the wise people who sensed the danger moved out her way with haste.

Weiss entered the library, wary. Her own secret ritual brought her to the same spot every single day. Weiss pulled a book from a familiar shelf. It was a massive tome, an encyclopaedia of all known Grimm. This book was her key to the most inconspicuous corner of the library. Due to the sheer weight of it, it had a special book-stand on a desk that put her back to a wall, and the size of the pages were excellent at obscuring her or anything she was working on. Weiss opened the book at a random page and placed it upon its tabletop easel. Out of her bag, she threw a well-worn book in the hidden space and sat down to a blank page.

She tapped the corner of the paper with her pen a few times before she made confident marks with her fountain pen.

 _12:17am. Came home. Yang, drunk as usual. 66_ _th_ _night in a row. She honestly has no regard for her teammates at all. Especially me, she always comes to stand on my bed so she can say goodnight to Ruby. The lush is finally learning some manners, she listened when I told her to take her shoes off. I shall construct a sign to remind her about the shoes. They argued for about 10 minutes, keeping us all up. But it did give me a nice opportunity to stare at her body. She knows I'm looking, I know she knows. Maybe the sign would be rendered ineffective if she came home blind drunk and unable to read._

 _7:01am. She's already awake. How does she do that? Go out, get smashed, come back late, and still wake up with a smile. Anyone that cheerful in the morning definitely requires medicating, if not for her own good, for mine. Damn, that smile today made my brain turn to mush. I don't think she noticed, it was very much like my normal morning behaviour. I think she does her best to ignore me before my coffee. That's probably for the best. I wish I could get Ruby to ignore me in the mornings too._

 _God, why does it have to be her? She's barely scraping by in class. She's loud and rude, prone to violence, a drunk, and she tells_ dreadful _puns. It's getting beyond a joke now. What cruel fate has cursed me, what did I ever do to deserve this, why has fortune forsaken me? I would just get over it, but I NEED HER. Need to have her, fuck her, cuddle her, just be with her. A long time ago, I thought it was just a sex thing, but the longer it goes on, the closer I get to resigning myself to thinking she's my only chance at true happiness. How did I allow myself to get this way? A question I have asked myself many times._

 _Get a grip, Schnee. You can handle it. I've been handling it for months now. It's just a crush. It's perfectly normal to find girls attractive, especially when they smile like that. And show off that chiselled six pack at every given opportunity. She walks around naked in our dorm every damn day. She wants me looking, I just know it. Otherwise, why would she parade herself around, if not to arouse me? I expect she wants me to disapprove, to tell her stop, to bring about confrontation. I don't think I or anyone would ever have foreseen that the very sight of her fully dressed makes me masturbate furiously after she comes back every night in a haze of booze. Blake is growing ever curiouser and I think I may have drawn her suspicions, so I'll have to watch my back. Ruby knows nothing, clueless, as ever._

 _And now I've gone and got all these romantic feelings for her. I mean, she would make an excellent girlfriend. She's very pretty, and likes to laugh. Her terrible jokes do actually get to me sometimes, and I catch myself smiling. I think she noticed one time, so now she tries to make jokes more often. When I look at her, I see us together. If she touches me, even on the hand, I get wet. It gets worse everyday. The other day I dreamt about us buying our first home together. I try to be normal when I'm around her, but she fucks with my head so much…_

 _She's so fucking pretty when she smiles. Fuck it, Schnee. You're done for._

 _8:03am. Blake told Yang what we've all been thinking recently. She needs to study. She needs help, serious help. We all know it. She's always the last to know. I want to help her, I know she can do this. She'll be a great Huntress one day, the best I've ever seen. If she can't get her act together, she'll be kicked out and I'll never see her again. Oh god, what if I never see her again._

Weiss slammed the diary shut when her eyes filled up with tears at the mere thought of not being able to contact Yang. Hold it together, Schnee, she wanted to write but found her book closed and her pen had bounced off the table when she dropped it. Not that she had any right to feel that way, Yang didn't see her as anything but a teammate. Sure they did stuff together, team stuff, not besties-potentially-bae stuff. Weiss could not decide whether that made her feel better or worse. She wiped her face with both hands and snatched up her diary and pen. Stuffing them into her bag, she whirled around a corner and froze. Which is a clichéd trick for an Ice Queen.

"Yang," she stuttered, and sniffed. Weiss sprang away and quickly closed the flap of her satchel, feeling all of her skin ripple with an unforgiving heat.

"Weiss." Yang's usual confident swagger was missing, she was irregularly slouched, which had resulted in a face full of tits for Weiss.

"Watch where you're going, bimbo."

That took the wind right out of Yang's sails. Weiss looked at her like she had less worth than the dirt on her shoe. "Can it, Ice Queen. Maybe you should try some of your own advice."

She sat down at one of the computers and docked her scroll. The screen flashed through its loading sequence and welcomed her to the Integrated Scroll Learning Syllabus. Yang slammed her fingers on the keyboard, typing in her password. The computer presented her with a checklist of the modules that were required for this year. She frowned at the lack of checkmarks, she thought she had completed way more. She double clicked on the subject of Oobleck's upcoming test. An error message rudely denied her entry: 'Prerequisites not complete'. Yang huffed angrily and clicked on the previous one. The same response came from the computer and Yang thought about putting her fist through the screen.

The computer was the innocent party in this situation, so Yang let it live. Even after telling her no on all but one of the module topics. The very first one which was really a basic tutorial, and if she remembered correctly, was merely a review of the last year, was the only one available. It would be a colossal waste of her time and patience. But she was forced to do it in order to unlock the next ones. Yang scanned the screen, searching the edges for anything that would allow her to skip forwards. She conceded to the machine and put her headphones on to listen to the tutorial.

"Damn, this day started so good as well." she muttered under her breath.

Yang's stomach growled soon after, and her mind wandered to the breakfast that she did not finish. Her attention span was much shorter than normal since food was the only thing she could think of. Yang knuckled down and focussed her eyes on the text displayed on the bright screen.

It was not long before the words merged together and made no sense. The facts she had to learn were stiff and cumbersome in her mind, nothing like her fighting instincts which were quick and fluid. All she had to do was let herself learn in a different way, from books and words, instead of movement and action. Yang's brain refused to get in gear to do this, even though she wanted to, and it was making her head ache and her vision was getting blurry as if she had drunk too much. Maybe that was the trick, she should try studying drunk to make it more fun. Yang rolled her eyes at her own stupid suggestion.

The voice from her headphones droned on and on, while students who were lucky enough to finish their breakfast started to pile into the library. She had come to the quiz at the end and was choosing answers she thought made sense, but the computer was not accepting many of them. She heard Nora giggling and rambling to herself, and saw Ren following her, listening thoughtfully to his friend's babble.

"Hello, Yang! You're here early."

Startled, Yang turned around at the familiar voice of Pyrrha Nikos. Great, just what she needed, the class swot catching her doing the most basic module of the year, and sucking at it. "Hey there."

"Are you ok?" Pyrrha bent down to Yang's level, worried at the frightened look on her face.

"No, yeah, I'm fine. Doing some last-minute studying for Oobleck's test." Yang moved her head backwards a bit, so that her hair covered more of her screen.

"Do you need a hand?"

"No, no, no no, no. Definitely not. I got this." Yang faked the confidence in her voice, but Pyrrha's eyes conveyed an even more concerned look than before so Yang knew she failed to deceive.

"Are you sure? If you do need any help, I'll be tutoring Jaune this evening here in the library. You're very welcome to join us."

"Thanks, but I think I can manage." Yang's pride was blocking Pyrrha's generosity left, right, and centre.

"I couldn't help but overhear you and Blake… talking at breakfast and I know you've been having trouble paying attention during class so if you change your mind, you know where we are." The gorgeous redhead left Yang to her thoughts and joined the table with Team JNPR.

Yang faced the screen again, but her head dropped and slammed on the desk. This fucking sucked, thought Yang as she raked her fingers through her hair. The computer was still patiently awaiting her answer to question 7 of the quiz and Yang did not have a clue so she chose a random answer, hoping for the best.

Computer said no. Yang wanted to scream in frustration, but she had told Pyrrha that she could handle it. This was a mistake, this whole thing, studying, school, everything. Yang was so over it. She knocked her chair over as she stormed out, but hid her face from Pyrrha's look of sympathy. She bumped headlong into Jaune as a result and sent him tumbling to the ground. She heard him wonder out loud "what's eating her?" but she did not turn back to apologise.

She took the stairs all the way down to the basement to get into her gym. The large metal door was chained shut with a huge padlock. She was not aware that they locked the gym during class time. Yang needed to go in there, to calm down, to centre herself, and be alone for a few minutes. Yang only required a little bit more emotion to activate her semblance; she thought about how it had annoyed her that Ruby was trying to whip her into shape, and even though she was only doing her job as team leader, Ruby was the younger one and it irked her. Blake was frustrated at Yang's apparent lack of commitment and it had clearly been stewing for some time before exploding at Yang today, and Yang felt it was unfair. Weiss agreed with them and Yang was annoyed at that too, and for the fact that Weiss was Weiss, and had every teacher eating out of the palm of her hand with her effortless perfect grades. Fury erupted within her for feeling envious of Weiss Schnee and boom, there it was.

With her power more than tripled, Yang tore the chain from the door. The metal door was bent out of shape, but the hinges still worked so Yang went inside and went straight over to the heavy bag. She took her school blazer off and began throwing wild punches at the bag, her eyes still blazing fiercely with power. Her technique tightened up instinctively, and she was landing multiple strikes per second. Her mind went into overdrive as her fists worked on automatic.

How had she fallen behind so badly? She had been distracted. At the beginning of term, she had found this new bar and she got acquainted with the regular clientèle rather quickly. She worked her way around the guys one-by-one, not looking for a relationship but just some fun. Soon, she had been with a whole squad of dudes, but instead of putting her down and calling her a slut, they befriended her due to how awesome she seemed. She was not usually a fool for flattery but Yang fell into the habit of going out with her new group of friends who laughed at her puns and danced with her all night, instead of staying in and studying like she should have been. Yang punched a little harder because it was weak to blame others for her problems. When had she become so useless?

Why couldn't she just study like the others? It was easy for them, Weiss was a natural born boffin, Ruby wanted to be a Huntress more than anything so she had the motivation to study, and Blake loved books, all books, any book.

No, that was not even true, it was hard for them same as her. They just had their heads in the game, while Yang was all play, no work. Yang was unable to find the switch to flick herself into study mode. It was so dull, even more boring than the club she had been to every night for weeks on end. Hours and hours with her textbooks was not as appealing as getting some much-needed male attention, in equal parts platonic and sexual. Well, maybe perhaps with a favourable lean towards sexual.

Was it even possible to catch up? First-year Yang would have easily said yes. Ruby was right, this year was so much harder, and the difficulty curve was beyond Yang's natural intelligence. She had to study and she would have to knuckle down freakishly hard if she had any chance in hell to get back on track. She was not sure she could manage, maybe if she started this time last week, she would have had a shot. Where had all her confidence gone?

If it was so hard and it was only second year, should she even be here? What if it was too much for her and she would burn out before the end of the year and leave Blake high and dry? That was looking like a definite possibility right now. She was going to let Blake down big time if she failed. She did not want to disgruntle her partner any longer, but it seemed like all she could do was delay the inevitable. She would drop further and further behind, angering Blake, disappointing Ruby and worst of all, giving Weiss a reason to act like a smug cow.

Why had she wanted to become a Huntress in the first place and put herself through all of this stress? Yang suddenly stopped punching. The bag swung wildly. Her father was a Huntsman, and her mother and her stepmother too, she had an enthusiastic sister who dreamed of being a Huntress since they were kids, and their Uncle Qrow was a Huntsman as well, it was deeply ingrained in her blood to be a Huntress. It was the most logical thing for her to do, she was stronger and faster than almost everyone her age, and she could fight like a beast. She could count the number of times she had been bested in single combat on one hand. It was just the pesky book part that she struggled with, the part that her classmates found to be a breeze, it made her feel like a crippled old woman trying to keep up with them. She simply had to become a Huntress, it was the only thing she knew she would have a chance at excelling in. Plus, she thirsted for the adventure that missions would bring. But was it worth it?

Yang realised that her eyes had become watery. She braced herself against the bag that was swinging towards her with great force and clung onto it for dear life. It stank of stale sweat and old leather but she could not care less, a single tear had forced its way out and escaped down her cheek. It had all come crashing down on her at once. Maybe she was just not cut out to be a Huntress, and even though she wanted it, she would never get to be one unless she passed her exams. The brawler strained to take in breath and sniffled through her nose, still collapsed against the punching bag. She felt so weak.

Someone cleared their throat behind her. Yang's body darted upright and her head jerked around to see who it was. She had been caught out by people sneaking up behind her for the second time today, but she conceded that at least this time it was the headmaster of Beacon, Professor Ozpin which was both the best and the worst thing in the world right now.

"Professor." Yang sniffed again and wiped her nose with the back of her gloved hand. He was sitting on a raggedy bench, leaning on his cane, with his cup of eternal coffee sitting beside him.

"You forgot this." He tossed her the scroll she had forgotten in the library and she cursed herself as she caught it to her chest, because she had also left her computer logged in at the failure screen of Module 1. "Is there anything you want to talk to me about?"

"No, sir, I'll get back to class." She made to pick up her blazer and book bag.

"I'd rather we have a talk first." He tapped the bench beside him, but Yang hesitated to sit next to him. She had no idea what he wanted to talk about, and she did not want to find out. Yang's belly twisted into knots and her mind went blank. In her momentary daze, the opportunity passed for her to sit down and the professor frowned at the rejected invitation. Yep, definitely the worst thing in the world.

"I see from the records that you're falling behind your classmates." he said, his voice flat as he casually sipped his steaming coffee. His eyes went to the broken door for a fraction of a second, but they were back on Yang again before she could blink. "Please tell me what's going on."

"That's just it, Professor, I don't know!" Yang burst out without thinking, covering her face with both hands and then running them through her hair.

"Take your time."

Yang was embarrassed and her head drooped. "I don't know." she whispered this time. Professor Ozpin did nothing but stare at her through steepled fingers. "I'm failing all my classes, except for Goodwitch."

"Yang Xiao Long, do you remember the speech I gave a year ago when you first arrived at Beacon?"

It seemed so long ago and so much had happened since then. She had vague recollections of the day but she could not recall his words. "No, sir."

"Then I'll remind you." He sipped his coffee. "You came here to Beacon in search of knowledge, hoping that it would provide you with all the tools you'd need to become a Huntress, is that correct?"

Yang's bottom lip quivered traitorously, but she nodded. The last thing she needed was to start bawling in front of the headteacher.

"I warned you that new students waste a lot of energy, and I see a lot of wasted energy in you, Yang." She was so close to tears that he paused and took a breath, affected by her turmoil. "You are very skilled, and very strong. The knowledge we provide at this school should be all you need, but you still lack direction, which is something I, sadly, cannot give you. That would be my fault, not yours."

Yang sniffed loudly and swallowed the ball of negativity that was growing within her. "I don't understand, Professor."

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that's my fault too. Let me try to explain. You're attacking this punching bag filled with sand that does not get damaged, it cannot defend itself or fight back. Yet, it has defeated you today because you were unable to continue your assault. You gave up before you had even really tried.

"It is the same with your schoolwork. You let it defeat you because you're overwhelmed and gave up. You're a bright student, Yang, but it only works if you give it your time."

He could see the cogs turning in Yang's head.

"I'll see to having the door replaced, please don't destroy the new one. I know you come here to train in the mornings before class. You may well be the strongest individual I have ever known in all my career, and in light of your semblance, I am not sure that you need to come here at all."

Yang looked around at her gym with all the beaten up, rusty equipment. She needed this place, it was her quiet place, where she was calm, well as calm as Yang could get. It was therapeutic. Ozpin smiled as if he could read her mind.

"I'm not suggesting you give it up forever, I can see it's something that you clearly love. Just for a while, until you're caught up. If you spent as much energy on studying as you do on physical training, you would outperform your teammates by a country mile." Professor Ozpin was not known to make exaggerations, but she doubted his assessment of her. She was the brawns of the team, the physical one, the one who would willingly take hits in place of her friends, notwithstanding the fact that it fuelled her powers, but surely that was a sign that her intelligence was below average? Any brains she did have, were beaten out of her long ago through repeated use of her berserker semblance. But then again, it was Professor Ozpin who thought she could do it, and to her knowledge, he had never been wrong before.

"Ok, sir." Yang left the gym, and her precious weights, behind.

'Come on, Yang! It's just a few books.' Ruby's voice urged her from the back of her mind.

Yang burst through the double doors of Professor Peach's lecture so everyone turned to look at her and the poor timid professor stopped in her tracks and let Yang take the centre of attention. She could never just enter a room, she would always make an impression with her entrance. She walked while everyone listened to her boots clacking on the steps until she got to the third row where Team RWBY sat. Sidling past the students who were on time and already seated, caused groans and huffs to be muttered in her direction at the disturbance. She ignored their negativity, Ozpin's version of a pep talk lit a fire under her ass, and she was determined to take frantic notes during all her morning lectures. She dropped her notebook, open on a blank sheet, in front of her and got down to it.

Staring at the lined paper made her head go funny. Tunnel vision kicked in soon after and her eyelids fell closed. She jerked upwards remembering the tequila slammers she had last night, and her brain scrolled through the heavy squats she performed earlier that morning while the moon was still shining. Thinking about the reasons why she was so tired made her no less sleepy. It did not help that Professor Peach's voice was as soporific as 20mg diazepam on an empty stomach. Her pen quivered and fell flat on the page, and her head met it there.

The lunch bell brought Yang out of her dreams with all the subtlety of Magnhild. Yang bolted to her feet and had to rake the hair out of her face so she could see. She wavered above her desk for a moment, and muttered indistinctly as she picked up the blank notepad she had taken out in the hopes of recording something from the lecture. She lost track of her pen and left it behind.

As she walked to Lecture Hall 3 for Goodwitch's class, she planned to sit at the back and act like she was paying attention while reading her work, making sure that Goodwitch didn't notice a thing. She thought about skipping entirely, but Goodwitch was certain to notice that; it was common knowledge that the highest achievers in her class were Yang and Pyrrha.

Almost as if Goodwitch knew what she was plotting, the Professor invited her to choose an opponent to duel. Yang looked over her scroll at the list of names, there wasn't one that she wanted to fight particularly. There were only a few that would give her a good fight anyway. She was not in the mood, for once, she wanted to sit back and read quietly. Damn Goodwitch for ruining her plan.

Finally, she chose Nora.

"YES!" came the shout from the front as Nora jumped up and laughed. Yang was determined to wipe that annoying grin off her face. Yang strapped on her gauntlets and kissed the left one for luck.

"Go Yang! Go Yang!" Ruby was acting as her cheerleader. The crowd began to chant with her, "Yang! Yang! Yang!" Team JNPR were screaming for Nora on their own.

Yang moved centre stage and spread her arms out, appealing to the crowd, and receiving thunderous cheers and applause in return. She watched Nora approach completely unfazed, and Yang winked at her, adding a cheeky grin. Fighting was Yang's speciality, this was her domain and she was very territorial.

The lights dimmed so that the crowd was nearly invisible, and they quietened down on Goodwitch's command. A holographic barren landscape formed around them and they assumed their starting positions; Yang with her fists up, and Nora with her hammer held behind her, ready to swing.

A loud buzz signalled the start of the match. Nora used her hammer to launch herself towards Yang. At the same time Yang fired herself towards Nora. When the two clashed, a ripple shot through the air, expanding away from them. Nora danced away and let her hammer whirl around. Yang knew that one powered up hit from that hammer in a critical spot and she would lose instantly, even before being able to use her semblance.

"So, Nora, how about we give them the best show of their lives?"

Nora snorted a laugh. "Too easy."

She dodged and ducked the mighty hammer, using recoil to dart around Nora and creating gaps to attack. Nora was adept at using kicks to defend herself while her weapon was indisposed. Yang pressed the attack, she did not want to be too far away and in range of the massive club head.

Yang laughed too. "Let's try not to make Jaune feel too bad about himself, ok?"

"Well, that's going to prove fairly challenging."

The two fighters were exchanging strikes, and they were both enjoying themselves. Yang leapt high into the air, powering up a big attack, and Nora transformed her hammer into a grenade launcher and fired away. Yang was hit by the fringes of the explosions so her attack missed. When she looked up to see Nora's wild swing surging towards her, her eyes were crimson.

Yang swerved out of the way and she was on Nora's inside, and let loose with Ember Celica. She emptied the chambers, forcing Nora to retreat, and continued her assault with a flying knee to the midsection and a spinning kick to the head. Both connected and Nora was briefly dazed, but she pulled her heavy hammer back, winding up for a strong hit.

Yang saw it coming and crossed her forearms to protect herself, but the momentum was too much for her and she was bowled over, slamming against the ground a great distance away. Nora was laughing and let the hammer fly around her in a big arc to then bring it down to smack the ground in front of her, causing the earth to quake and crack. The shockwave nearly hit Yang but she recovered and leapfrogged over Nora's weapon, and landed a direct hit on Nora's mouth. Nora was thrown off her feet and away from her hammer.

Yang threw two strips of Dust rounds into the air, and let them fall into place, reloading her gauntlets. She propelled herself forwards with her recoil towards her disarmed opponent. She let the pain flow through her, charging her semblance, heating the air around her. She used all her negative emotions as fuel, her beautiful hair now glowing and burning.

Nora sidestepped as many attacks as she could, but Yang caught her with some hard blows that ate away good-sized chunks of Nora's aura. Nora's body rolled towards the handle of her hammer and Yang let her grab it. Nora seemed to perk up when she grasped her weapon again and she giggled and shot herself towards Yang, winding up another huge attack.

Yang grit her teeth and mirrored Nora's strike. Their weapons clashed with a huge explosion that sent both of them flying. When the dust settled, Yang was aflame, her hair so bright that it was blinding. Now, there were even stakes. Each girl could land a one-hit KO. One mistake and it was all over.

Yang readied herself and charged. Nora blocked punch after punch with the shaft of Magnhild, smiling all the while. Her retaliatory swipes were insanely fast and Yang was having a hard time keeping up. So Yang did the only thing she could think of, the next time Nora swung for her, she caught the hammer so it stopped dead. Yang gripped it so hard she felt the metal crumple beneath her fingers, and wrenched it away from Nora. Nora tried her best to hold onto her weapon but she was no match for Yang's enhanced strength.

"Oopsie!"

Yang smiled and tossed the hammer behind her, putting herself in Nora's way, while the oversized weapon whistled through the air. She telegraphed a huge attack with her right hand, so Nora would defend to her left, but it was a feint. Nora's alternate forearm darted up to block. Yang's fist was quicker and it went straight through Nora's hasty defence and scrambled her face. Nora whipped round, and tried a sloppy jab to feel Yang out, getting a taste for her range. Yang's head weaved away, and she ducked under Nora's follow-up hit. She swatted away Nora's hand as it sliced through air just where her face had been moments earlier, and improvised a sick combo on the fly.

Yang's final hit, a gauntlet blast and solid left hook to the temple, knocked Nora's lights out. Nora ragdolled and landed on her butt, finally defeated. Yang sprang on top of Nora, teeth bared, ready to attack again.

A buzz confirmed the end of fight. The stage lights came on, and the barren landscape faded away to make way for the cheering crowd.

"Yang Xiao Long is the winner of the match." Professor Goodwitch announced, making notes on her scroll.

Yang's face slowly relaxed and she released Nora from her death grip, so Nora snorted with laughter and booped her on the nose. Yang helped Nora to her feet. The two of them were sweaty and breathing hard from their exertion, but they turned to each other, smiled, and gave each other a big hug. Yang had nearly forgotten why she liked Nora, and this had been a good reminder. She was so refreshing, her enthusiasm for fighting, for school, for life was never-ending, maybe Yang could borrow some. Their fight had renewed her vigour, she was on top of the world and she was going to kick second year in the butt.

Yang faced the crowd, and Nora held up her arm in victory, and they both took a bow. Even Blake was cheering with the rest of them. Yang congratulated herself on a job well done, and with a big grin pointed at Nora who got great big cheers and whistles.

"Yes, thank you, that's enough." Professor Goodwitch could not allow them to get too proud of themselves, even though that had been the best fight all semester. She had given them both excellent marks, and she let slip a tiny smile when the clapping did not stop.

"You did well, girls." The simple acknowledgement was the highest praise from the tightly-knit Professor. Yang slid her scroll out and quickly snapped a selfie which Nora photobombed. NotRen BangaYangXL #YangvsNora #FightoftheYear #CollateralDamageSurvivor

Yang and Nora hugged one more time and then they both skipped happily back to their teams. Yang's face was stuck on perma-grin, cheesy and bright, like it should be. Her cheeks were coloured delightfully, with a twinkle in her eye. Weiss took one look at her and gulped. Ruby immediately pounced on Yang, telling her that it was strongest she had ever seen her, and giving Yang a detailed blow-by-blow, even though Yang was pretty sure she was there the whole time.

Weiss didn't say anything, she just smiled and looked shy. She turned to Blake, "So what did you think?"

"Where the fuck have you been all morning?" Blake hissed at her. The rest of the team each had the face crack of the century.

"Studying like I said. Don't worry I've got the test covered."

"You better, because right now I find it very hard to believe that you've been studying. You were late this morning and slept through Peach's lecture. Pyrrha told me that you turned down her offer of help."

"I can do this on my own, I don't need their help. I got this. Have a little faith, guys." Yang was trying to appeal to the other two girls, Ruby most of all, for their support to bring Blake back on her side.

"You have three weeks to cram in about three months' worth of lectures to study for Oobleck's test. I offered to help you numerous times before, we all have. At this point, we've given up on you."

Yang stared at her shoes. "I'm trying, Blake, I really am." she said in a small voice.

"Well, try harder, because I don't believe that it's enough." Blake took off on her own.

"Blake…" Yang called to her back pointlessly. She looked to Ruby and Weiss yet again. Weiss turned her back with a huff and walked away.

"Ruby, please, you believe me, don't you?" Yang caught Ruby by the hand.

"I want to. I worry about you. Ever since you got involved in that crowd you hang out with in town, you've been ignoring us and your schoolwork."

Yang's face was a picture. "What? Where is this coming from?"

Ruby shook her head. "You know what I'm talking about, you think they're better than we are because they're more _fun_."

Yang's eyes widened. Was that really what her team thought of her? Although, considering her behaviour, she could see where they got that idea. She was absent almost all the time, even while she was there in person. Passing a hand in front of her face sometimes wasn't enough to get Yang's attention. Still, she had to defend herself. "You can't have gotten it more twisted, I don't think that at all!"

Ruby looked up at her sister, her silver eyes full of distress, trying to find the right way to state the facts. "Yang, I- the others have said it to me more than once. Sometimes, it's nice to hang out as a team, but you're always out with your other friends so we never get the chance. You forgot Blake's birthday last week, you went out drinking instead and didn't come back until the next day."

Yang's heart dropped into her stomach. "Oh, shit."

"Yang! What are you doing? Do you mean to tell me that you had no idea it was Blake's birthday? How could you, you know how much she's opened up since you became friends with her. The least you could do is apologise, and you better not flunk that test or you'll make things worse. I have a responsibility as leader to make sure my team is getting along, so please don't let me down. This is me being a leader here, so don't think I'm not your friend. Of course I'm your friend."

"Thanks, Ruby, and of course I won't let you down. I'll do this, I swear."

"Good. Thank you. I hope Blake will stop snapping at everyone. She's really upset you know."

"Geez, I wouldn't have thought that forgetting a birthday would be such a big deal to someone like Blake." Yang put a hand through her thick mane of hair and sighed. "She didn't even let us celebrate her birthday last year."

"It was only a small gathering, you know Blake, she's wouldn't let us do something too showy. Sun came down from Haven, and Blake invited Neptune to be polite. Team JNPR came too and we all chilled in the rec room. It was just us, everyone was there, well, except you."

"Did you have a good time at least?"

"I did, Ren made all the snacks, so Nora and I…" Ruby trailed off and laughed nervously as she realised what Yang was actually asking. "Even though she tried, I don't think Blake had much fun." Ruby left unspoken the fact that had Yang been there, it would have been a much more lively affair. The older sister was walking sunshine, brightening any room she entered, but recently her inner light had gone dark. Yang had not realised that her shadows were long enough to be cast over her friends too.

"Hey, Ruby, I know that this seems rich coming from me, but would you have the time to study with me tonight? I don't want to burden Pyrrha."

"Sorry, sis, I've got my weapons club meeting tonight. Otherwise, you know I would."

"Well, I guess, Team JNPR it is."

That night, more got done in the half an hour before Team JNPR arrived than it did in the following three hours. Pyrrha was pleasantly surprised to see Yang already there, working diligently away, and she told Yang to think nothing of it when Yang meekly asked if she could sit in on their study group. However, she had not anticipated the dynamic that Team JNPR had already grown accustomed to, and she was largely excluded from their exchanges. Nora and Ren were in their own little world, and Jaune needed so much help that it took up all of Pyrrha's time. Yang spent most of her time analysing their relationship.

Jaune had given up on trying to date Weiss, determined as he was in the beginning, he finally got the fucking message that she wasn't interested, leading him to fall into Ruby's comforting arms. Yang loved being the older sister and advising Ruby about guys and relationships, but it did cast a telling light on the fact that no boys from Beacon ever dared approach Yang. Jaune and Ruby were in love for a season, and then he suddenly noticed that Pyrrha had been pining for him for an entire year. Ever the ladies' man, he broke up with Ruby with a bunch of flowers, roses obviously, and a box of her favourite candy.

It took a lot for Yang to forgive him for breaking her little sister's heart, but Ruby assured her that it was all part of life's great adventure and she was glad he was with her friend. Yang was a bit surprised at Ruby's maturity in the situation. In her place, Yang would have torn Pyrrha to shreds. Jaune had grown as a man a lot last year, in fact Weiss might have possibly considered giving him a chance if he asked her now. Well, it was a long shot, but that never stopped him before. Except, now he only had eyes for Pyrrha, and she only had eyes for him. While it was kind of cute, it was rather sickening if Yang was completely honest.

Pyrrha, bless her precious heart, did take some initiative with Yang and tried to involve her, but Jaune soon drew her attention back to him in some way and Yang was not fully convinced that he needed it. He was playing up to her nurturing nature and was drinking up her attention like a desperate, needy sponge.

The evening was not a complete waste as she had learned a few new things, but her growling, angry stomach gave her a much-needed excuse to leave them. She got to the cafeteria just as her belly was beginning to form sentences with its rumbling. Food, glorious food, awaited her after she survived the queue and made it to the tables. Yang was hungry enough that she could not guarantee the food would actually make it to the table.

To make up for her lacklustre lunch (the library vending machine had only one protein bar and the flavour was disgusting but Yang ate it anyway), Yang piled her plate with the meat of the night, chicken teriyaki, and a fillet of white fish, a massive pile of egg fried rice, and several servings of steamed vegetables on top of that. She had an apple, an orange and a yoghurt for dessert. Team RWBY were apparently absent so she chose a table and began devouring her meal.

She barely noticed Weiss putting her own tray down and sitting opposite her. Weiss cleared her throat and waited for Yang to greet her. All she got was the rage-inducing sound of chewing and a view into Yang's mouth as she opened her trap wide to stuff a forkful of food into it. "Do you even take breaths in between bites?"

Yang looked up and swallowed her current mouthful. "Sometimes." Yang carried on eating like it was her last opportunity to have a meal.

Weiss opened her yoghurt and stirred it with her spoon. She tore open two packets of sugar from the table and poured them in and stirred again. Yang had been chowing down, but Weiss liked to take her time in order to make her sparse meal last longer.

Her icy blue eyes were fixed on Yang's food while she gingerly spooned the sweetened yoghurt into her mouth. Yang had gotten through half of her mountain of fried rice already and it was making Weiss hungry, even as she was eating.

"How do you eat like that?" Weiss snapped, suddenly, as if the way Yang ate made her angry.

Yang chewed on her chicken. "Like what?" Weiss was grateful that she covered her mouth.

"Like that!" Weiss gestured with her spoon to Yang's vast array of food. "Like you don't have a figure to maintain. You're slimmer than I am, how do you do it?"

"Oh." Yang slowed down enough to cast her eye over Weiss's choices. The aforementioned yoghurt with added sugar and a bowl of pineapple and melon chunks. She looked apologetically at Weiss. "I work it off in the gym," she said with a shrug.

"I go to the gym too, but it makes no difference. I'm still," Weiss put down her spoon and leant in close, "squishy. You're more toned."

Yang faltered. Weiss was very close to stumbling upon what Yang did in her morning ritual. "The way I look is down to how I eat."

"But if I ate like you did, I would definitely pile on the pounds. Look at you, you're like some athletic goddess, _and_ you eat as much as a bear."

"How do you know that? Have you ever tried eating what I eat?" Yang said in a light-hearted manner, attempting to derail the conversation.

"Don't be flippant. I really want to know, how do I get to look like you?"

Yang smirked and waggled her eyebrows. "Train your ass off. Or on, in your case."

Weiss was not pleased with Yang's joke. "I do train my ass off, I run 5k in under an hour. 10k every weekend."

Yang's eyebrows raised and she regarded Weiss in a more impressive light. She did not have much interest in running, and it was mostly out of the question due to her ankle, but she knew those numbers were not to be sniffed at. Weiss clearly had great stamina and athleticism, she would just need some heavy lifting to build muscle and strength and, bam. It was almost cruel to keep the information from her. She had to decide right now whether she was going to let someone in on her secret.

"Weiss, listen, it's not for everybody, ok? It's tough, you've gotta put your whole life into doing what I do. You won't have time for much else, parties, music, boys, it'll consume you." That was her last ditch attempt at throwing Weiss off her scent.

Weiss' body stiffened and her face became even more serious than usual. She was being challenged, and she knew it. "You have time for other stuff. The time you spend drinking, I will spend studying for my future. Besides, anything you can do, I can do too."

"Ok, Weiss. Sure, I'll help you. But I'll need you to do something for me in return."

"Done." Weiss put her hand up for silence, she was sure anything Yang could possibly want, she would be able to provide.

Yang smiled, already formulating the details of her request. "Have you been to the gym yet today?"

"No, I planned to go after dinner."

"Well, eat up. You're gonna need it." Yang tossed her the apple she had reserved for dessert. Weiss caught it with one hand, and took a large bite out of it.


	3. Chapter 2: Do You Even Lift?

**Chapter 2: Do You Even Lift?**

Yang led the way downstairs to the gym. The door she damaged this morning had been removed, so it was just the empty frame, letting all the sounds out into the corridor. Yang glanced back at Weiss who was listening to all the clanging, banging, and grunting. If she was having second thoughts, the heiress did not show it. _Good_ , thought Yang, _she's really going to get a proper doing over_.

"Normally, I come here alone." Yang said, showing Weiss through to the weight room, gesturing for her to go first. Weiss immediately walked over to the cardio machines, and wrapped her hair up in a bun. "Uh uh," Yang grabbed Weiss by the hand and pulled her towards the free weight area. "This is where we're going."

"But, this is where the _boys_ train." Weiss crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly feeling self-conscious in her little crop top and skin-tight leggings. Cardin's head swivelled around while he was doing biceps curls and he winked at her. A few other boys noticed her in the mirrors and stared at her; a girl, a slim, conventionally attractive girl, a rich, slim, conventionally attractive girl who, despite her prickly and disdainful attitude, was highly desirable. Weiss glanced around nervously at all the grunting men, heaving massive weights around. Basically as a female in a male-dominated arena, simply by being there, she was inviting them to judge her. She regretted standing next to Yang, in comparison she looked like a puny string bean.

"I know, and this is where we train."

Weiss glanced around, extremely worried, not exuding the usual confidence and poise with which she carried herself. Rather, she looked like she was about to bolt. "Yang, I can't do this here. There are people watching."

Yatsuhashi was on his way out, and fist bumped with Yang as he passed. "Hey, how ya doin'? Good stuff, bro." Yang said to him, and he nodded in response as he could not hear her through his earphones.

"You said you were alone when you come here."

"Yeah, I come here before anyone else." Yang said quickly, hoping that she could just gloss over this part. Sure, it was a little embarrassing, especially in some of the exercises mainly because they looked like half a sex position. "Come on, over here."

Weiss moved carefully, watching her step lest she trip over any of the dumbbells spread all over the floor. She almost made it to the squat rack without falling, but Yang was there ready to catch her. Weiss jumped out of her hands and, yet again, nearly sent herself to the ground. She regained balance by grabbing onto the bar resting on the rack and stared hard at Yang in the dirty mirror.

"Chill out, Princess. We haven't even started yet." Yang was smiling widely, almost laughing. Weiss did not like her tone, made an ugly scowl and looked to the door. "Excuse me, attention over here, please." Yang clicked her fingers directly in front of Weiss' face.

Weiss caught sight of herself. Her cheeks were bright red, and Yang was right, she was already flustered without having done anything yet. She made a special effort to calm down, and look more like a Schnee. She put her rich girl face on, like she was above all this. Nevertheless, Weiss wanted it to be over sooner rather than later. "I'm ready."

Yang studied Weiss carefully, sizing her up. Her reactions so far had not been indicative that this was going to be a productive evening; Yang promised herself that she would not get frustrated, or at least not show it in front of Weiss. "Right, show me a squat."

Weiss bent down as if she was picking something off the ground, and at the end, slightly bent her knees. Yang had a lot of work to do. She stood in front of Weiss and grabbed both her hands. Weiss tensed at the sudden contact, she did not recall giving Yang permission to touch her. Yang instructed her to do what she saw, and Weiss appreciated the patient and respectful tone that Yang used. She could have been most unkind at Weiss' shaky legs and questionable knee placement, but thankfully, she was blessed with the forbearance of a kindergarten teacher. Slowly, Yang moved her butt as if she was sitting on an invisible chair and bent her knees. Weiss cautiously did the same while still holding onto Yang's hands, but she came to a halt when she was about halfway down.

"Come on, bit lower."

Weiss contorted herself to look behind her at the boys who were keeping watch on them like a committee of hungry vultures. "But they'll see me sticking my butt out."

Yang stopped herself before she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, there's gonna be a lot of that."

"Seriously, you do this?" Weiss had the sneaking suspicion that Yang was making fun of her, and she did not like it one bit.

"Oh, darling, I definitely do."

Weiss was not reassured but she did her best to do as instructed. Her body folded at the hips and she was finally in the bottom of the squat, thighs parallel to the floor. With her legs basically spread wide open, she could only imagine the view that the boys behind her were getting.

"And up." On Yang's command, Weiss stood up as gracefully as she could. "That was good. Your mobility is decent. Not ass to grass yet, but we can work on that. Ok, again."

Weiss squatted on her own. It was still a bit like her first attempt, but her hips went a lot lower and she did not lean forward as much. Weiss turned to Yang when she was done, who nodded in acceptance of Weiss' form and made a gesture for her to keep going. After an uncountable amount of squats, Yang handed her a kettlebell. It was heavier than it looked and Weiss nearly let it drop, but she grasped onto the thick handle with both hands and held on.

"Right, put it up to your chest like this." Yang had another kettlebell and she hoisted it up easily from waist height to just above her breasts. "What we're gonna do is called a goblet squat."

Weiss tried to do the same, but it was nowhere near as fluid as Yang's movement and she managed to eventually hold the kettlebell securely in front of her sternum. Keeping it there was a task in itself. The sheer weight of it crushed her chest, and made it difficult to breathe.

"Now we do the same thing. Down to parallel and up."

Yang went first and Weiss copied. Interestingly, holding the weight made her much more mindful of her muscles and stricter with her form. Yang nodded, it was the same when she had learned to squat, so she knew the leverage of the goblet squat was excellent at teaching good, upright form for the back squat. Yang had Weiss do three sets of ten reps each. Weiss' legs trembled dangerously by the end of it. By far the worst thing was keeping the kettlebell in position as her arms were not used to it. Dopamine flooded her brain so she was giddy and smiling as Yang led her to the other side of the gym.

"Wow, I actually did it. I didn't think I could at first, but I did."

"I know, you did great. You're fairly good at it, more than I thought you would be." Yang said, carefully considering whether to say that last bit, but nevertheless was pleased with her trainee. Yang had thought that this was going to be a waste of her time, especially as Weiss was being prissy and self-conscious at the beginning, but Weiss stopped complaining after a few reps and even surprised her when she demanded to know what was coming next.

"Deadlifts." Yang made sure to choose a spot where they would have their backs to a blank wall, so no mirrors or people could get a peek at their butts.

Yang got a barbell from a wall rack. It was the worst one in the gym but all the good ones were already being used so it would have to suffice. She had bent it while working up to her max deadlift, and so deadlift PRs were the only thing it was good for. Yang had no intention to put weight on it for Weiss' first time anyway, just teach her the movement which involved multiple joints and levers, and relatively massive amounts of muscle mass. Who knew picking something up off the floor was so complicated?

Yang collected a couple of wooden boxes and placed them a few feet apart. She put the barbell on top of them so that the bar was sitting at shin height. She told Weiss to watch her carefully as there was a lot to take in while she demonstrated.

"Get in position, kinda like you were when you did your first squat. First of all, the starting position is not a squat. However, like the squat, it starts with moving your hips back. Your back is straight, and your legs as straight as you can get them. Bend your knees a little so your back doesn't curl. Take a firm shoulder-width grip. Tighten everything up, shoulders, back, abs, legs, butt, and make sure your feet are firmly on the ground. That's your set up.

"Then we lift, but not with your arms because then it becomes a completely different exercise, your arms are just to hold the weight in position. Your hips do all the movement, and your legs and back provide the power. You keep the bar close to you at all times, and never let your back round. Gotta be really careful, you don't wanna hurt yourself. When we lower down, we reverse the motion, step-by-step. I'll show you again."

Yang performed the movement a few times for Weiss, and talked her through it. Now it was Weiss' turn. There was definitely a technique to it that Weiss could not exactly nail down, but she got the gist, and the bar went up and down smoothly.

"That was easy."

"Easy, huh." Yang got some 20lb plates and slid them onto the ends of the barbell. She lifted the bar with one hand and kicked away the boxes so that the plates sat on the ground. The bar was still at shin height. "Ok, now try it."

Weiss confidently got into the starting position and set her back stiff and straight. When she started to pull, she lost the lock in her shoulders and her back threatened to follow suit, but she made it to the top, and lowered it with control.

Yang nodded, the rep was acceptable. "Again. Keep your head neutral so that your spine stays straight. Squeeze your glutes at the top."

"Glutes?"

"Your butt."

Weiss nodded and lifted the weight. She was concentrating so hard on remembering everything she had to do, that she was ignoring the leering boys that shared the gym with them. Weiss was quickly learning to activate the muscles in her body in the correct sequence, and her form was getting better each time. After 12 solid reps, Yang was quite impressed. The heiress certainly had a lot of stamina.

"Let's see how much you can do." Yang was already searching for new weights while Weiss had a little breather. Yang came back with another two 20lb plates and clipped them on. Weiss eyed the iron with apprehension.

"Uh, Yang, won't lifting that much weight make me big and bulky like a man? It's heavy, I heard you should use smaller weights if you want to get toned."

Yang gave her some major side-eye. "Do I look like a man?" Yang turned and pushed her butt out to show how big and curvy she had built it. Weiss' eyes followed the deep valley up Yang's erector spinae to her flared lats which gave her a killer V-taper, and further upwards where it was plain to see the separation between her posterior, medial, and anterior deltoids, and her trapezius.

Weiss bit her lip and shook her head. "No."

"I lift much heavier than that, Weiss. You won't ever look like a man if you lift weights. The only parts that get bulky are parts where you definitely want size, like your ass."

Weiss shat herself when Yang's palm tapped her bony, flat butt. She was not ready. She barely heard what Yang said next as her brain was stuck in a BSoD loop.

"If you lift heavy, it'll only make you look more feminine, give you that hourglass figure." Yang brought an arm up to flex her biceps, held the pose for a second and grinned. Weiss tried to hide her jealousy, but her eyes bulged at the peak of Yang's biceps. Something primal stirred within her, and she reached out to touch Yang's arm. Her fingers could not reach even halfway around Yang's impressive upper arm. It was so thick, and so much harder than Weiss believed a female body could get. Despite all of Weiss' social conditioning, she came to realise that muscles on a girl did look feminine, not like a man at all. This is how women are supposed to look.

"And sexy." Weiss blinked, then gasped at her own stupidity. Way to go, Schnee. Her brain frantically tried to think of something to cover that up, but all she got was nonsense characters and wingdings. It should not be that big of a thing, Yang must get told she was sexy all the time, and Yang was definitely aware of it already. Weiss hoped that her slip up would be swept under the rug, seeing as how it was such a common thing for Yang to hear.

"Yeah, and sexy." Yang blinked too. Weiss dropped her hand and her face and ears flushed with pink. They shared a sort of _moment_. Weiss could feel Yang's eyes scope her out, giving her the full up-and-down. Weiss did not fail to notice, and Yang was met with a fraction of a smirk when she reached Weiss' face. They held eye contact that lasted far too long to be natural, but the underlying emotions in the extended gaze were still unreadable. Were they flirting? Was Weiss Schnee actually flirting with her? Yang was good at flirting so she reckoned she could recognise it when it was happening to her. Yang inhaled sharply as she turned away, the emotive connection making her skin crawl.

With the moment ruined, Weiss woke up from her trance. She took a few steadying breaths before she bent down to grasp the barbell.

It was much heavier than Weiss anticipated but she managed a complete rep with full extension at the top and she boldly pulled again. She sucked in a big gulp of air and heaved, this time the weight came up, slowly, shaking. Weiss' face broke into a grimace and she grunted a little as she tried to get the weight past her knees. The bar touched her thighs and she stood vertical for a moment before dropping the weight to the ground with a loud clang.

Yang held up her hand for a high five, her lips pulled into a wide smile. Weiss obliged her.

"That was awesome! I bet you even had one more in you before you dropped it." Weiss stared in slack-faced wonderment at the weight she had just deadlifted from the ground twice. "How much do you weigh if you don't mind me asking?"

Weiss obliged her again. "A hundred and seventeen pounds. Less before breakfast."

"Wow, Weiss, you lifted more than your own bodyweight. That's seriously impressive, especially for a first try. Proud of ya." Yang winked and held tight the large welcoming smile on her face.

"Was it really that good? Do you think it would help me lose weight? I'm trying to lose ten pounds."

Yang raised one eyebrow. "Ok, well, forget about that. Your new goal is to gain ten pounds." Weiss' face twisted in horror as if Yang had just told her that she had failed an exam. "What did I just say about gaining bulk in the right places?"

Weiss bent to check out her own butt, or to put it bluntly, her lack of one. She hated to admit that Yang was right, the gravity-defying ass was considered by some to be the most important aspect of womanliness. She kept it hidden under her combat skirt most of the time, but her leggings left no doubt that she was flat as an ironing board. "How much do you weigh, Yang?"

"I weight about one fifty, give or take a couple of pounds."

Weiss' eyebrows hit a record altitude. "You're a lot heavier than you look!"

"Yeah, muscle is much denser than fat, and the more muscle I have, the more I have to eat to maintain it. I have earned a lot of muscle over the years and ate enough so that it would grow. That's the other half of the puzzle by the way."

"I'm not sure I want to have loads of muscle. It sounds like a lot of work, and to be perfectly honest, it would look weird."

"Why would it look weird?"

"Girls aren't supposed to have muscles!"

Yang facepalmed. "Yes, we are! When you walk, talk, run and fight, any kind of movement, you're using your muscles to make it happen. When you spar with us, when you run for a long-distance, you're repeating motions in order to train your muscles to be more efficient so you can get more out of them before they're fatigued. Your muscles are in there you know, you just can't see them as much because you have a layer of fat covering them."

"You calling me fat?"

Yang looked like a rabbit in headlights, somewhere along the line it had all gone a bit wrong. "No! No, no, no, absolutely not. I mean, don't be so ridiculous. _You_ ," she waved her finger in front of Weiss' body, "are not fat. You do _have_ fat though, same as me, I have fat too."

"Yeah, but not as much." Weiss said, pinching one of her small, but ever present, love-handles.

"The physical amount is probably more similar than you think."

"Then why do we look so different?" Weiss would bet good money that Yang stored all her body fat in her tits.

"The ratio of lean muscle to fat is different." Yang said, trying to keep her voice level. Monotony was the safest option, she did not want to sound too happy or too ominous about it in front of Weiss or it might set her off again.

"You have more muscle?" Yang inclined her head in agreement. "And that's how you can eat so much and not get fat?" It had finally dawned on Weiss, why Yang ate the way she ate, and explained her food choices and portion sizes.

The corner of Yang's mouth twitched. "Yup. Heavy training puts my metabolism in hyperdrive. I notice that you don't consume a lot of calories."

"I don't want to-"

"Get fat?" Yang finished for her. "Wouldn't it be awesome if there was a way you could actually lose weight while also increasing the amount of food that you eat?"

"Yang, you never told me you were a late-night infomercial presenter."

"Huh? Oh, shut it you. It's not that farfetched, I swear, but neither is it as easy as that makes it sound. Look, here's the marketing spiel: strong is the new skinny. Muscle helps you, in the gym, in fights, in missions, in life. Training with weights or resistance is the most efficient way of increasing your lean mass. Muscle is metabolically active tissue, it demands calories to exist, so the more muscle you have, the more you can eat. A smaller but equally important effect is that your bone mass increases which equals less fractures further down the line." That caught Weiss' attention. "I know, right? Muscles are great, muscles give you curves, muscles help you burn fat. Sound good yet?"

"Yeah, but, does it really work? I've heard all these things before, and they all sound too good to be true. How can you know it works?"

"Just like I said, increasing your muscle mass is the only way you can increase your resting metabolic rate, meaning you need more calories to maintain your weight. If you don't eat those extra calories, then your body has to get fuel from somewhere so it dips into your extremely energy-dense fat stores."

"But I thought you said I could eat more?"

"Currently, you eat about as much as a fussy toddler who weighs half of what you weigh, obviously you need to eat more, Weiss. I reckon if we put on you on a proper balanced diet, you'll wonder how you lived on such measly portions in the past." Weiss hmm'd as non-committally as she could. "So starting tomorrow, you're gonna eat twice as much as you used to for breakfast."

"I usually just have coffee for breakfast."

"Ok, starting tomorrow, you're actually going to eat breakfast. A big one. Even if you're not hungry, you need to have a proper meal first thing; muscles are hungry, they need food to grow."

"What if I want to lose weight?"

"You don't."

"Excuse me?"

"You don't want to lose weight, you want to lose fat. Still, though, you need food for fat loss. Nobody ever did their body any favours by starving it. Just need to maintain a small caloric deficit and voila, you will lose fat."

"Why can't I do that first? I don't want to get any bigger, I enjoy being slender."

"You won't get bigger unless you eat boatloads, which I'm guessing isn't ever going to be on your agenda. But you do need to eat, there's no getting around it."

"How do you know all this?"

"Mostly trial and error. My sensei who taught me to fight showed me the basics, like 'you are what you eat' and stuff. That's why I don't eat crap food, like refined and processed junk. Just regular real food with no added nasties. When I started lifting, I had to figure it out on my own, like how much protein I needed and how many carbs I could handle."

"You sound obsessed." Weiss automatically objected to being told she was doing it wrong and reacted negatively to the prospect of changing her dietary habits. It was part of who she was, you are what you eat after all. It had taken her ages to adjust to surviving on her stingy diet. She was proud that she could control her hunger and only eat what she deigned to be 'diet-friendly', when others around her like Ruby had zero fucks to give about what they ate.

"I did warn you that it would take over your whole life. It's not just an activity or a hobby, it's a way of life." Yang's statement was matter-of-fact, Weiss might not have liked it but it remained the truth. Yang remained firm and unmoving even though Weiss was huffing and puffing, obviously annoyed that Yang's advice was not what she wanted to hear.

The gym was slowly beginning to empty so Yang moved them to the soft-floored stretching area. Weiss had become stubborn again, and she was looking towards the door. They had not even done half of what Yang had planned, but teaching Weiss basic stuff like how to squat had eaten up their time.

"This is the last thing for today, promise."

Weiss sighed in contempt. "What now?"

Yang snapped to attention and gave a sloppy salute. "Drop and give me twenty, private!" Weiss was not amused, she did not even crack a smile. "No? Ok, but seriously though, how many press ups can you do?"

Weiss rolled her eyes and made a big fuss of getting down on the floor, face down, and attempting a press up. It did not go well. She barely flexed her elbows and her body sagged in the middle so her belly touched the ground before her chest. She tried for another but fell flat as her arms gave out. She rolled over and sat there, hunched over, and pissed off.

"Weiss Schnee, you can swing a sword around all day, but you can't push out a single press up?"

"My upper body strength has never been as good as my legs, that's why I run a lot."

"Well, then we've gotta make it strong." Yang chose to ignore Weiss' foul mood. "You'll be busting these out like it's nothing in no time. Come on, watch me do it and then have another go on the bench."

Yang got into the plank position and performed the perfect rep of a standard military press up. She could have gone on, and done countless reps or shown off with variations like one-arm, superman, or clap press ups, but she knew better than to rub her strength in Weiss' face.

"Notice how my whole body is straight like a pole from head to toe and just my arms move." Yang showed her one more time. She sprang to her feet and dragged over a bench. "Put your hands on here, it'll provide assistance until you're strong enough to do it on the floor."

She almost thought that Weiss would simply refuse but Weiss put her hands where indicated, and began the exercise. She was not so bad at it, and Yang could see her facing up to the challenge, and growing in confidence. Yang had already noticed how determined Weiss was, she just needed a little push in the right direction from time to time.

Yang had also noticed that Weiss' arms had pumped up with blood, they were looking more toned already, albeit temporarily. Yang figured that it was the encouragement that Weiss needed.

"Hey, stand up, have a little rest." Weiss did so. "Look what you just did." Yang lifted both her arms into a double biceps pose, just long enough for Weiss to catch sight of herself. Weiss took over from there and flexed her arm muscles, and did little turns in the mirror to see them from all angles.

"Wow. I actually look strong." Weiss whipped out her scroll and snapped a few mirror selfies with her arm tensed.

"And sexy," Yang said playfully. Yang offered her a hand and Weiss pouted and posed for her. They took a handful of photos, some with the mirror and some regular selfies. "The camera loves you." Yang noted.

Even though she had been fighting it the whole time they were in the gym, a smile broke through on Weiss' face. "Thanks, Yang." She wrapped her sexy, strong arms around Yang and hugged her gratefully. Yang saw her own look of absolute surprise in the mirror. Weiss found herself feeling way too comfortable, and pulled away. She was covered in sweat, and she can't have smelled great, her own bodily musk was making her nose itch. Yang seemed oblivious to that, and didn't seem to want to let go. The contact emphasised just how hot she was right under her skin, not cold, like everyone assumed. She might have been an Atlas native, a Schnee, _and_ have hair white as snow, but she was still a hot-blooded human. The exertion of the previous hour had made her cheeks blotchy and red, her dilated pupils huge empty black holes staring at Yang who did nothing but stare right back. Another moment came and went, and yet they were still gazing at each other.

Her tongue, weighed down with the mass of words on the tip of it, could not articulate her feelings except in rapid eye blinks, beseeching Yang to say something.

"Look out, world, Weiss Schnee has activated beast mode. You make a good trainee."

"You make a good teacher."

Yang nodded, nothing rolling off her tongue quickly. Weiss could see her trying to formulate a pun. "So was it good for you too?" Weiss was taken aback. Smooth, Yang, real smooth. Yang mentally berated herself for being so obnoxious. She meant the workout, obviously, but her stupid mouth made it sound shady so Weiss was bound to get the wrong idea, like she was some pervy sleazebag.

Weiss' idea of a joke was far and away, completely different to Yang's. But Yang had no idea that Weiss had already imagined pillow talk between the two of them, and she was a little upset that Yang was almost making fun of the idea. "It was fine." Whether Weiss was referring to the workout was as clear as dishwater.

They were last two left in the gym, it was already well past dark. Yang could sense that there was more to discuss, things on Weiss' mind, and a few things on hers as well. "So, this was fun, we should do it again sometime." Yang wanted to smack herself in the face.

"Yeah, we should probably head back now. There are still a few more things I need to go over before the lectures tomorrow."

"Oh, right. Yeah, the lectures." Yang rubbed an uncertain hand on her back of her neck.

Weiss was taking steps towards the door. "You wanna go through the stuff with me?" she said, suddenly turning back.

"No, no. Really, I'm fine. I'm doing great at it, actually. I gotta go, uhhh-"

Weiss raised both her eyebrows, the arches steep in surprise. "Suit yourself," Weiss said, and walked out. While that was better than Ruby or Blake pressing her for details, and then pleading with her to get some work done, it left Yang feeling cold, and very alone.

Weiss marched through the corridor, her steps were purposefully quick to put some distance between her and Yang. Any moment now, Yang would be jogging up to her. But annoyingly, that moment never came and Weiss was severely wound up when she reached the door to their dorm. By the time Weiss had finished her shower, Yang's leather biker jacket was gone, along with Yang.

Yang chased the smell of burning rubber all the way downtown. Yang kicked down the stand of her bike outside the club in her unofficial personal parking space. She tossed her hair behind her back after removing her helmet, and her ears picked up the chorus of wolf whistles coming from the small group that were smoking outside. She smiled, and sauntered over to them, "Looking for trouble? You just found her."

She hooked her arms around the necks of two blokes, and headlocked them both until the others in the group jeered loudly at their struggle. She let them go and allowed them to stand, the one to her right gaining his composure back first and he greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. Not to be outdone, his friend groped her ass and turned her face to kiss her on the lips.

"Whoa, slow down, boys. There's plenty of me to go around." Out of the dozen or so, she recognised the faces of four men in the group, including the one that had kissed her. There were two girls who faded into the background the moment she arrived so they could bitch about her off to one side. Jealous cows. "Who wants to buy me a drink?"

"He does." The man opposite her inclined his head in the direction behind her. Yang's arms quickly removed themselves from around the waists of her two companions. Yang turned, and she heard the group scatter as a huge shadow came up from behind her.

"You're late," he said, as two massive arms encircled her. "What kept you?"

His voice did not match his image. He was barely taller than Yang, although two of her could stand side-by-side and he would still be wider. His arms were thicker than gluttonous pythons, fat from a recent meal, and his legs, oh boy, his legs – they were Yang's favourite part of him. They were swole as fuck, probably over 30 inches around, strong as oak. He looked like he could crack pavements just by walking on them. He had this face that looked permanently pissed off, though that could be down to his eyebrows being so low and dark that they cast shadows over his tiny, little black eyes. So one would be forgiven for expecting a deep, gravelly voice booming out of his vocal cords, but it sounded like he had barely hit puberty. Somehow, Yang reckoned that no one mentioned his squeaky voice on account of the fact that he was a walking tank, 250lbs of pure muscle.

She could not get her arms all the way around his back but she tried anyway. "A lady is never late. You're just premature."

His thin mouth broke into a smile, but it failed to light his face. "You're hardly a lady, sweetcheeks." He pinched her bottom.

"You're such a pig."

"You don't seem to mind, though. Seriously, where have you been? It's already 11, so I barely get an hour with you." His oversized hands found their way up the back of her jacket.

"Better make the most of it then, hadn't you?" The tips of their lips brushed together for a second, it was no kiss, but a provocation. His arms closed around her, she could barely move.

"So cold tonight, not your usual self. Who were you with before? They've put you in strange mood."

She laughed derisively. "No one important."

"Hope nobody is trying to steal you away from me." He made no expression, but she could tell he was craving her from the way his hands squeezed her. They were so rough like sandpaper, but he was good at using them gently and she closed the gap between them to kiss him. Satisfied that he had achieved the desired effect, his hands took hold of her face and engaged her in a fiery kiss. Her hands moved to be draped around his neck. "Come on, I know you love this. When are you going to come to your senses and be with me?

"I'm with you now."

He leaned his forehead on hers, "You know what I mean. Full time. You don't need that stupid combat school shit. You'll only end up in danger."

"That's the whole point."

"I could really use someone like you. You're smart, sexy, and pack a helluva punch. I've got a job that's just perfect for you. The rewards would surely satisfy you, just like I do. We could make a great team."

"Whatever you have to offer, I don't care, I'm not leaving Beacon."

He kissed her properly now, using his tongue in familiar ways that he knew would excite her. "Stay the night with me."

"Fuck no. Ask me as many times as you want, I'll never change my answer."

"You're still down to fuck, though, right babe?"

"Always."

Yang felt uneasy as he fucked her. With every thrust, he was chipping away at her defences. She felt like she had finally grasped onto something meaningful as opposed to clawing pointlessly at the air. Maybe this was the direction thing that Ozpin had talked to her about. Her feet had found a solid path to walk on, which was better than floating aimlessly, but she had no inkling of where she was headed. She had direction, but no destination. That did not matter, it was a feeling like she found home after a long, arduous, but thrilling adventure.

For the first time, the gravity of the black hole in her heart had weakened. She was currently orbiting around the void, instead of careening towards it at light speed. She had no idea what it was she had gotten hold of, but she knew that she wanted to keep it. Except the longer his dick pumped in and out of her, it pushed her, bit-by-bit, away from her happy place.

"Hello? Are you still with me?"

"Huh." Yang took in her surroundings, her hands were dirty with grime that was invisible on the car bonnet she was leaning on, and she was staring at her distorted reflection in the black paint. They were on some dark street, Yang did not notice the name. She was barely aware of the person attached to the cock currently penetrating her.

"I said, I love fucking you."

"Fuck me harder then."

Yang regained consciousness tangled in her bedsheets, vague memories of last night swimming to the forefront of her mind's eye. She shook that feeling off and hopped down from her bed. Blake stirred, and brought the covers up to her neck but made no other signs of awakeness. Yang glanced up at Ruby's bunk where her sister slept as a shapeless lump beneath her many blankets. She inspected Weiss' bed too, and her evening with Weiss in the gym flashed before her eyes in fast-forward. She stared at the sleeping girl who was breathing softly through her slightly open mouth, knowing that after last night, she would never look at her the same way again. Once she got comfortable, Weiss attacked those weights like they had insulted her mother. It warmed her heart to see the prissy girl rising up to meet the challenge, and that was all the motivation she needed to get her fired up to go lift some weights. Plus, it was chest day, and the bar wasn't going to lift itself.

She skipped down to the gym, eager to train. A new door had been fitted, a modern one that matched the other doors at Beacon. It had to be unlocked with a scroll, like the library door. Yang pressed her device against the sensor, automatically pushing the door. A beep informed her that her scroll didn't do the trick, and the door remained stubbornly closed. She tried again to make sure, but no joy.

"Fuck!" She kicked the door, before remembering that Ozpin had told her not to break the new door. She also remembered that she had promised Ozpin that she would study. She had meant to study last night, but she got busy teaching Weiss about lifting and then she got busy... getting busy.

The thought crossed her mind to just ram the door down. She sighed and dismissed that idea. She walked off but she heard something from behind the door. She dashed back and pressed her ear close to the door to try and hear what it was. It was the clanging of weights definitely. Someone else was in her gym during her private time.

"Let me in." Yang rapped on the door with her knuckles. The noise stopped, so she knocked again.

Someone shouted from the other side. "Closed today!"

Having the fact confirmed, Yang plodded back to Team RWBY's dorm. She changed into her uniform and sat down at Weiss' desk as it was the tidiest. She flipped her workbook to a clean page and opened her textbook to the required reading for the test. Her legs were rather sore from yesterday, but it was made almost unbearable by being sat there, bent over a book.

She wanted to move, make her body do some real work, but she chained herself to the desk. Her pen scribbled notes, but they were sparse at best. Her handwriting was careless, she probably would find it illegible later on. She skimmed the text, it was long and boring, all about history, wars, and the occasional Grimm attack. Who lead the country, who lead the opposing country, more detailed exposition about the Faunus Revolution, dates of major Grimm assaults; it was all junk knowledge to Yang. She knew she had barely scratched the surface of what she needed to know to be prepared for the exam when her team were starting to wake. Blake was up first and was getting ready for her day, and she was applying her makeup when she noticed Yang, hunched over a notebook.

"Hey."

"Morning," Yang said, turning around. "Look, studying!" She twirled her pen between her fingers and smiled to Blake.

"I see that. I'm glad you're trying. It means a lot." Blake said unconvincingly, while applying her eyeliner.

Yang was about say more about how hard she was trying, but she decided to spite her by studying so hard that Blake was ignored. She barely registered Blake saying that she would see her at breakfast.

"Yang! What have you done to me?" Weiss cried from her bunk. She had one foot on the floor but the rest of her was still in bed.

Yang sniggered behind her hand, eyes twinkling. "Having trouble there, Princess?"

"Don't just stand there looking smug, you big dope. Come help me." Weiss demanded.

Weiss took Yang's offered hand, and groaned as she sat up. She edged herself off the bed and wobbled precariously as she put weight on her aching legs. Yang barely concealed a fit of giggles when Weiss started walking because it looked like she had something enormous and girthy wedged up her butthole.

"How do you handle this?" Weiss felt as old as the owner of From Dust Till Dawn. It was like someone had crushed her legs with a steamroller while she slept.

Yang shrugged. "I'm used to it."

When Weiss tried to get changed, tiny little gasps of pain escaped her lips with every movement. Her pectoral muscles wanted to rip from her ribcage whenever she moved her arms. She could feel her back protesting every time she bent over.

"We could always get you a walking stick, Granny Schnee. Failing that we'll have to get the Ministry of Silly Walks to take a look and give you a classification." Yang had the most irritating smirk on her face.

One icy eye twitched menacingly. "Shut up and get over here." Weiss huffed and let Yang link arms with her, "Stop acting like you're enjoying this."

"But, I am." Weiss punched her arm and leant on Yang for support.

Ruby was still snoozing lightly when they left the dorm. Yang was not worried, Ruby had the fastest showers known to man and she would be with them at breakfast in a flash.

Weiss sighed in relief when she finally sat down. All around her were people eating their hot breakfasts and the smell of food made her drool. Melted, salty butter and decadent demerara syrup on a stack of fluffy pancakes were the main aromas driving her cravings. She would do anything for that, even beg on her knees. "I'm absolutely starving!" That outburst was so out of character for Weiss that Blake looked up from her book to eye the heiress suspiciously.

In contrast, Yang was not actually that hungry. She was used to expending a lot of energy on her usual morning workout so she felt like she had not earned her normal amount of food, but she knew she had to eat. Skipping meals was something that she avoided whenever possible.

Weiss was about to get up, but Yang put her hand on her shoulder and saved her the trouble. "Allow me." Weiss slowly lowered herself the few inches back to her seat, extremely grateful to Yang that she was spared the trip to the food counter. Weiss had picky tastes when it came to food, but right now, she could not give a fuck what Yang brought back, she would eat a horse. In fact, Weiss recalled that she had once eaten horse at a fancy, formal dinner and she hated it, but she would clean her plate if presented with the same meal right now.

Yang could not have come back soon enough, and Weiss hastily grabbed the plate that Yang handed her. It was a large omelette that was laced with red and green veggies and cheese, from the smell. She did not bother with salt and pepper, Weiss began to dig in as Yang set another plate in front of her, a stack of waffles topped with whipped cream, syrup, and strawberries. The taste of her omelette had Weiss' mouth watering, so her fork went up and down faster than Yang had ever seen it.

"Thanks, Yang." she remembered to say, when she took her first break between mouthfuls.

Yang grinned and began to partake in her identical breakfast. Ruby whizzed in from out of nowhere and slurped on her milk through a straw while browsing her scroll. She made eye contact with Yang and pulled a confused expression when she saw Weiss practically attacking her waffles, and looked back at Yang quizzically.

Pyrrha and Jaune came to sit with them. "Hello everyone!" Pyrrha greeted them cheerfully.

Team RWBY responded politely, except for Weiss who was still chewing.

"Is anyone up for sitting some mock exam papers?"

The sound of eating came to an abrupt end. Ruby turned hopefully towards Yang and Blake was paying close attention from behind her book. Weiss took a strategic large gulp of coffee, and decided to extract herself entirely from the conversation and carry on eating like nothing was going on around her.

"I think I'll... pass." Yang said slowly and deliberately.

Pyrrha nodded, though she was fairly dejected that Yang rejected her yet again, her urge to do the right thing stifled. "Anyone else?" At least she had the decency to sound as uncomfortable as she had just made everyone with her question.

"Rumour has it that this is the hardest exam of the year, everything after this will be a piece of cake." Jaune sounded terrified, rather than assured. His comment had done nothing to quell the disquiet around the table. "Pyrrha made me some flash cards so she can quiz me when I'm least expecting it."

"Flash cards are cool..." Ruby said.

Yang was internally begging for someone to change the subject. She didn't want them to know exactly how much studying she had left to do in the very little time available. She was about 50/50 that she would pass, which was not anywhere near the high mark Ozpin believed she was capable of. Yang was scared and under pressure, more so than when she squatted a personal best yesterday, and it made her sick. She could barely bear anymore of this before she would have to run to the nearest bathroom.

Pyrrha, intent on asking more questions, ignored Yang's discomfort. "Did anyone read ahead to chapter 17? Team CFVY said it helps. Jaune and I covered it this morning."

"But we're going over it again before the test," Jaune's chuckle sounded forced and contrived, "Just to hammer it through my thick skull one more time."

"Anyone's welcome to use my flash cards, we'll be in the library at lunch time." Pyrrha addressed the whole table, but Yang knew she was talking to her. Her heart was in the right place, but Yang couldn't tell Pyrrha that the rest of Team JNPR really irritated her, and it stressed Yang out to be with them.

Speak of the devil, Yang heard Nora's motor mouth. "... and the army sent out the signal to retreat, but it was a fake out, and they turned back and charged. General Elan's forces pressed the attack, thinking they had the upper hand, and they got trampled when the Vacuo soldiers caught them by surprise. Clever, right? Right! Would you believe that General Elan used the very same tactic in his next battle but it was a fake fake out? A double fake out! He escaped with less casualties and the naval force finished the rest. I'm with General Elan, I would've done the same. Or a double fake fake out! That would've worked too."

Luckily for Yang, the whirlwind that was Nora Valkyrie swept up Jaune and Pyrrha and led them off to go make someone else feel insecure. Yang thanked Dust that she had gotten rid of them for now. Yang sighed heavily into the tense silence that Team JNPR had left behind, she knew that Blake was itching to say something. Since Blake's little outburst yesterday, she had gone back to her regular monosyllabic, withdrawn self so she waited for someone else to kill the silence.

"Well, thanks for breakfast, Yang! I was really ravenous." Weiss said, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "That omelette was eggstraordinary." Talk about breaking the fucking ice, Weiss had the whole table in fits of giggles, partly because her pun was total shite, and partly because Weiss just made a pun at a completely inappropriate time. Which was kind of her thing. "What's funny? I don't get the yolk." She winked.

Yang died with laughter at the wink, but she was grateful enough that she could have kissed Weiss just then. She had been saved from another potentially disastrous conversation about studying. "I rate those six out of ten. A for effort though."

Weiss downed the dregs of her coffee, wiped her mouth again, and stood. "I think you should kindly offer to walk me to class." Yang needed no further prompting, and latched onto Weiss' arm and they made a quick exit.

Ruby turned to Blake, "Since when did they become best buddies?"

Blake focussed her scrutinising gaze on their backs as they walked off. She sensed that they were up to some kind of mischief and Blake did not like to be out-mischiefed. "Hey, Ruby," Blake's eyes narrowed to evil black lines and her full-on toothy grin looked sweet as candy. "Want to have some fun?" she said, rasping like a serial killer.

"What," Ruby gulped, "kind of," she quickly surveyed all directions to see if they were alone, "fun, Blake?"

"Wanna know where Ice Queen keeps her diary?"

"She has a diary?"

"Oh, yes. And I know where she hides it." Blake darted her eyes towards the door as Ruby nodded enthusiastically. They left the cafeteria as blurs. Well, except for Ruby, who had to whoosh back to grab her milk and whoosh away again to join Blake in a flurry of rose petals.

As soon as Weiss was sure they were out of sight and earshot, she pinned Yang against a wall using the element of surprise. She felt so tiny compared to Yang, but the pain in her muscles helped her brain connect with them so much more, she was in absolute control of her strength and her power to restrain Yang originated from more than only Yang's pure shock at her ballsy move. "You're nowhere near ready for this test, are you?"

Yang's violet eyes sprung open at Weiss' sudden dominance. Her cheeks were hot and blotched with red, which would make any lie she told now pointless. Weiss' small hands were around her wrists like a vice, holding her arms down.

"You should've been studying last night, instead of going to the gym, and giving me this limp. Then you went out drinking again."

The only sound out of Yang's mouth was her heavy breathing. _Think, quickly, Xiao Long, don't say something stupid..._ "Yeah, but that's not what you said last night. What's a bit of pain if you get to have some pleasure first?" Had her hands been free, she would have facepalmed. "It seemed like fun to get you in the gym and see what you're really made of."

The imperturbable face of the Schnee heiress barely flickered, but her heart pounded within her rib cage. Her whole body trembled, and she tensed painfully to keep herself under control. Still, though, there was no sign of this on her face. Weiss was determined that this would go her way. "So you chose to forgo your studies in order to have a little fun with me. You didn't have to do that, you know, I could've waited. Why did you put me above yourself, is it because you like me?" Weiss was a bit scary-looking when she was this serious.

"Like you?" Yang stuttered.

"Yes, me, Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the largest and most successful international Dust-shipping corporation in Remnant. I'm rich and fabulous, better than most people you know."

Yang narrowed her eyes. By no means did she hate Weiss, but that did not mean she had to like her or enjoy being reminded where she came from. "I don't not like you."

"What is that supposed to mean? Aren't I desirable? Aren't you the least bit impressed that the SDC could probably buy this entire school?"

"Yeah the infamous SDC, known for its corruption, abuse of cheap Faunus labour and a long list of embezzlement scandals. I'll be honest, you're not my favourite person." She pushed Weiss back, easily breaking through Weiss' hold on her. "You're a _short_ -tempered, self-absorbed, spoilt rotten, snotty little rich girl with a grand sense of entitlement and a shitty attitude to match."

Weiss screeched. Her palm smacked Yang's cheek which flared with deep red shades, like Weiss' hand had been a hot plate. She instantly regretted every single interaction she'd ever had with Yang, including falling for her like a basic ho. Thank fuck nobody else knew about that.

"See what I mean?" Yang clicked her jaw back in place and pressed her palm over the heated and inflamed patch of cheek that Weiss had slapped.

"How dare you talk to me like that, you dumb bitch." Weiss growled.

"I'm not dumb!"

"Why are you failing every class then?"

"This is why we are not friends. I wish I'd never offered to train you yesterday, it was a waste of my time. You deserve to stay small and weak forever."

"You are so full of shit, you're just mad because it cut into your drinking time. That's literally all you do, work out, flunk school and then dull your brain even more with drink. No wonder you always get hit during fights, because of your thick skull. Though that's probably for the best, you're actually only useful when you're taking a beating."

"You did not just-"

"What, tell the truth? Sorry it offended you."

"One more word and I'll fucking smash your face in."

"So violent. Have you always been such a thug, only a simpleton would resort to using their fists when they've lost an argument."

"Just be quiet!" Yang did not want to give Weiss the satisfaction of being right, but she had to shut her up somehow. She shoved Weiss backwards. Her gloved fists were itching to fly, but instead she grabbed Weiss by the front of her shirt.

Weiss was brought eye-level to Yang, so she could see the murderous look in the purple eyes and watch them turn crimson. She instantly regretted it the moment she made eye contact with Yang; that kind of deep, meaningful eye contact that was all about deciding whether it was worth the effort to attack. Both girls had snapped and were walking a razor edge. Weiss kicked and flailed, jabbing her heels into Yang's shins, and attempted to wrench Yang's wrists away from her. Yang did not flinch.

"Say something else, I dare you."

She tried to look anywhere but Yang's intense gaze, a thin sheen of sweat appearing on her brow and upper lip.

"So you can hit me? I'm smarter than that, Yang. Something you could try to aspire to. We've all been trying to help you succeed because it looks bad for us if you fail and the rest of us all pass."

"I wouldn't want any favours from you, Ice Queen."

"Good, because I'd be ashamed to tutor you at the simplest basics which you so blatantly need."

Yang dropped Weiss hard. Weiss' squat-ravaged legs flared painfully as she struggled to balance and stand. By the time she had righted herself, she could hardly believe her eyes. Yang had her back turned, a shaking hand covering her grimace. Weiss gasped as quietly as she could.

"Nobody wants to see you fail and drop out. You could still have a chance if you weren't so stubborn and accepted our help. But you'll need to quit swanning off and doing your own thing. You have to commit to this, or it won't work. You need to devote your time to studying, and something has to give, and that something is going out and partying all the time."

"I knew you would say that." Mainly because it was true. Yang folded her arms, and raised her defenses should she need them. "I don't want to."

Weiss gulped down a whole bunch of feelings that looking at Yang brought up and said coolly, "Got any better ideas, dum dum?"

Yang bristled at the insult but, at long last, she swallowed her pride, "Fine, I need your help, Weiss, I'll admit it." Weiss sneered, or pointing her smug nose towards the sky. Yang ignored her. "I can't deny you've outclassed everyone in exams, you are my best chance of doing this. My only chance." Yang said honestly, looking anywhere but directly at Weiss. Professor Ozpin's voice echoed in her head, and she felt relieved of a great burden, like she was living up to his expectation. "You're smart, and I need me some of that."

"That's a much more appropriate way of speaking to me for future reference." Weiss kind of liked the way that Yang's eyes gleamed as they turned towards her, even if Weiss had given her sass.

"Can you just shut up for one minute while I say something nice to you? It's cool if you're not used to it." Weiss' eyes narrowed, but the corner of her mouth was fighting a smirk. "Anyway, before you interrupted me with with your palm, I was actually going to say that despite all that stuff, I think you're all right. You were so cool yesterday at the gym, I like how you ate the big breakfast I got you."

Weiss' rubbed her full tummy. "It was a good breakfast. Thank you, by the way. For everything, the food, the gym, the advice. You really know your way around the gym, I was very impressed."

Yang's mouth froze, twisted in a half-spoken word. "I- hey, thanks." That was probably the best compliment that the heiress had paid her. "Don't mention it."

"We can do it again, right?" Weiss let a bit of the excitement and urgency creep into her voice.

Yang wanted to agree instantly, and she almost did, but then she remembered, "I wish we could, the gym is closed."

"Ah." Weiss scanned the floor and focused on her shoes. She wished her enthusiasm was lowered a couple of notches, and attempted to conceal her disappointment. The awkward quiet that fell was much more intolerable than the preceding argument.

"How're your legs now, Weiss?" Yang asked tentatively, she was interested to know if Weiss was still in pain.

"I can still feel it in every single step. Stairs are particularly difficult. I worked hard though, there's bound to be repercussions, right?"

"Yup, yup. Yup." Yang nodded, she knew very well the feeling of delayed-onset muscle soreness. "But if you want to do it again, that's a good sign that it worked, the gains are pretty much guaranteed."

"Gains?"

"Building muscle. The next couple of hours will see you absorb that breakfast you just ate and put it to work regenerating and rebuilding the damaged muscle fibres from your training yesterday."

Weiss glanced down at her aching body and nodded. Weiss pictured her gym selfie for the hundredth time already today. She loved the feel of her muscles expanding under her skin, pumped up like balloons, and she had decided that being achy all the time was a fair tradeoff for looking fantastic. Besides, Yang said that you get used to it eventually.

"Yang, do you care if I go to the gym and work out hard?"

Yang was taken aback by the odd phrasing and simple but strange question. "I don't know," she stuttered. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, if you don't want to, it's perfectly understandable. I won't force you."

"What if I wanted you to force me? I mean, I could really see myself doing it long-term if I had your persistent encouragement."

"You mean you want me to continue training you?"

"You wouldn't be the first trainer I've had, FYI."

"I'm not really a trainer though, I'm still learning myself. Also, I only really know what works for me because it did work for me. We're going to have to experiment with you as much as I did so we'd be more like a team, or partners."

"Partners? I think I can work with that." Weiss proffered her hand for Yang to shake on their agreement. Yang missed that cue entirely and was giving a faraway stare to the row of lockers behind Weiss. The rejected hand lowered. "If that's the case, I'd prefer to propose a trade of sorts," Weiss said, using the business-like, diplomatic voice she imitated from her father to cover up her chagrin.

Yang's focus returned to the pale face in front of her. "A trade? Careful, Weiss, your Schnee is showing."

"Well, like you, I would rather not owe you any favours and since you are going to use your expertise to help me, I feel it is only fair that you get something of value from me in exchange."

"Such as?"

"I could help you learn the parts of the semester that you've missed so far."

"I wouldn't try it if I were you. Like you said, I have to start from the very basics, so I wouldn't want to drag you down with me."

"I doubt even a dumbass like you could hold me back from academic achievement." Yang felt her hackles raise, but she restrained herself when she thought she saw Weiss make the tiniest wink, so small that she probably imagined it. "I have the utmost confidence in myself that I'll be able to bring you back on track, _and show you what you're really capable of, Yang._ " Weiss stroked the cheek that she had slapped, and had to bite down on her tongue to stop the recoil of alarm when she realised what she was doing.

Yang looked uncertain. "You sure seem to have a lot of faith in me." She drew in a deep breath and sighed heavily, heaving her breast up and down. It caught Weiss' eye, but the heiress kept her cool by directing her vision at Yang's purple eyes and blocking out everything else.

"Yesterday, you had faith in me when I was completely out of my comfort zone and out of my depth. You made me feel successful, even if I sucked the entire time."

"Yeah, but-"

Weiss held up a solitary finger to indicate silence was required and Yang felt compelled to obey. "No buts. Tit-for-tat is the only way that I'm doing this. So, I suppose we're study partners and gym partners now."

"As soon as the gym is open again."

"You take the gym really seriously, don't you?" Yang agreed. "Won't it bother you if I intrude on your gym sessions? You haven't missed a morning in months."

"You knew about that? This whole time?"

"I'm a light sleeper. Until yesterday, I had always wondered where you went."

"Well, that's what I do, what I've always done. Let's not make a big deal out of this, ok? I prefer to keep this whole business low-key."

"Whatever, Xiao Long. Since there's no gym, we can fill the time with revision. Shall we say, the library at lunchtime?" Yang shrugged but nodded. "Ok then, done. See you at lunch." Weiss walked off on her own, leaving a very confused and still a little alarmed Yang behind.

"Yang, what have you done?" she asked herself. Yang added this new development to the growing list of things she had to worry about.

Team RWBY's own dorm room felt off-limits as Ruby and Blake sidled in, locking the door behind them. Blake knew the exact place to reach her hand and get the diary. Weiss had found a brilliant little gap between her mattress and the bed frame and it was only due to Blake's night vision that she saw Weiss reach into the hiding place before she went to sleep. Blake placed the diary on top of the bed like it was sacred and she and Ruby sat, legs crossed, with it between them.

"Wow, Weiss really keeps a diary. She always laughed at my journal."

"She laughs because you play tic-tac-toe with yourself."

"I don't think we should read it. She'll get angry."

"Trust me. You want to read it." Blake gestured to the book, tempting them on the bed. Ruby's fingers were on the edges, it was covered with plush, soft brushed leather. Blake put her hand over Ruby's in warning. "But before you do, make sure this never gets back to Weiss."

Ruby nodded slowly and pointed her index fingers at her own silver eyes and then Blake's amber ones. "I got it." Blake lifted her arm and Ruby opened the diary.

She snapped it shut again. "We're definitely doing this, aren't we?" Blake snatched the book away and flipped through for a page she seemed to know well.

"Read." she said, pushing the diary under Ruby's nose. After the first line, Ruby's eyes were larger than dinner plates.

"Weiss wants to-" Ruby gasped. "With Ya-" Ruby let an even bigger gasp end that sentence.

"I know right."

"Geez, she's really rude." Ruby's eyes sped up, skimming through lines. "Really, really rude!"

Blake chuckled. "I've read worse."

"Whoa, she doesn't know when to stop." Ruby said, turning page after page.

"Look who's talking." Blake plucked the book out of Ruby's hands, and the redhead's eyes shimmered as they followed the words rising before her. "Oh yes, I've read this bit a few times, and no, I can't believe she used the phrase 'quivering mound of love pudding'."

Ruby's head popped up between Blake and the book, and Blake let her hold it. It was fun to flick through Weiss' diary. They spent at least an hour reading together, with Blake showing Ruby some of the funnier passages at first, and then Ruby exploring on her own, much to her horror as she found a lot of smut involving her sister.

"She sure doesn't act like she likes Yang, I mean just yesterday she told her that she was as disorganised as an intersection with malfunctioning light signals."

"Yeah, but to be fair, she was being honest, however harsh it sounded out loud. And let's be honest, I don't think Yang understood it. She wasn't trying to be too horrible but more helpful. That's just how she is, we've known this for a long time."

"How long has Weiss been writing in here?"

"I think the first entry is about six months old, before the Vytal Festival."

"You think she wrote it because she thought she was going to go all the way and win the trophy?"

"Ruby, it's all about Yang. All of it. The whole thing. With a mixture of mushy crap and porn. I think we've got a serious case of unrequited love on our hands."

"Yeah but Weiss and Yang are like, well, they're like ice and fire. Total opposites. How can Weiss be in love with Yang?"

"She talks about it at the beginning, when she is still confused over liking a girl sexually." Blake flipped backwards through the book in Ruby's hands.

"Here."

Ruby read aloud, "'Two days to go. Yang and I have been training, under the supervision of Professor Peach. Three guesses who gets to train with the actual combat instructor at the academy. Pyrrha Nikos, of course. I can't blame them for arranging it this way, I would pin the kingdom's hopes and dreams on the star athlete too, but underdogs still deserve attention just as much as the top dog.

"'I know she was only joking, but Yang said I should sing for her if we win. She doesn't realise that I actually will. It's not that they don't believe I can sing, they don't believe I will, as if I'm embarrassed or something. I've always imagined singing for her, I'm sure it would impress her. Singing is the one thing that I am very nearly perfect at and I am so sure about that, so they can go suck a fuck.' Seriously, why does she have to use such foul language? The only person I've known to swear so much is Yang who, come to think of it, learned it from my dad. Probably Uncle Qrow as well. Mostly him actually, if I'm honest."

Blake laughed knowingly. "There's probably a lot we don't know or realise about Weiss Guinevere Schnee. Did you know her mom has a drinking problem?"

"Where does it say that?" Ruby nearly ripped pages out looking for the passage that confirmed this fact.

"She mentioned it, I think, only once. She didn't write much. I imagine that it's painful for her to think about. Remember that you gotta pretend like you don't know any of this, nothing, not one little thing, or she'll get suspicious."

Ruby poked a sharp elbow into Blake's tummy. "I got it. I can keep a secret you know. I got this."

"You mean like how you kept my surprise party a secret right up until the moment you were supposed to fetch me and then, after getting me to the door without a hitch, you lost concentration and let it slip?" Deadpan Blake was not giving any hints as to whether she was being sincere or sardonic.

Ruby, infuriated, needled Blake's torso with a pointy finger. "Yang was supposed to be the one who was going to fetch you, but she ran off to do her own thing, so I was nervous and unprepared!" Ruby stopped to draw breath, "Besides, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

Blake raised an eyebrow and waited for Ruby to continue as if nothing had happened.

"'Most troubling of all, is that it was never this bad until Yang adopted a cavalier attitude towards her work and a blatant disregard of scholastic pursuits. I am not attracted to her brains, let's put it that way. So what am I attracted to? Well, number one, DAT ASS. Number two, well I suppose that once we got over the initial rough patch, she was the nicest, least irritating member of the team. I thought it would be Blake, but she turned out to be a Faunus.'" Ruby twisted around to pass an incredulous look at Blake. Blake shrugged and motioned for Ruby to keep going.

"'Number three, she exudes sex appeal like an intoxicating pheromone perfume. While I am grateful that she does not have a boyfriend, or shows any interest as a potential boyfriend in anyone from school, it does make one wonder. I can't be the only person who sees it. Am I really the only one who noticed her rock hard abs? And the way her legs are so toned and shapely? She really is head-to-toe drop-dead gorgeous and she makes me so… _hungry_. Number four, the butt deserves another mention.'" Ruby broke off as a fit of giggles came over her. "I never realised my sister was such a hot piece of ass." she snorted.

Blake rolled her eyes behind Ruby's back. "Of course you wouldn't notice, you're family. You see her everyday."

"Does Yang know about this?"

"Duh, have you seen the length of her shorts?"

Ruby sighed condescendingly. "No, I mean about Weiss."

"Oh. Then, no." she said, shaking her head. "She has no idea."

"How long have you known?"

"That's not important." Ruby threatened Blake with her pointer finger held in attack position. Blake jerked an arm up to defend herself. "Fine! I knew she had it all along, it was my birthday gift to her last year and, out of the blue, I noticed her using it six months ago. I didn't cave in and read it until two months ago, when she reverted back to being her rude, bitchy self again and I wanted to find out what was going on."

"I bet you were desperate to read about what she had got up to during summer, don't try to fool me, Miss Belladonna."

Blake did one of her silent mini-huffs. "Also, yes."

It was true, Weiss kept tight-lipped over details of her summer break. Ruby and Yang both unsuccessfully tried to goad it out of her, Blake took a more direct approach but promised to drop it when Weiss told her that sharing too much had got her into trouble once and made her uncomfortable. Blake had used that exact same excuse before, and Weiss respected her wishes then, so sadly, she was obligated to return the favour. "She never wrote anything anyway."

"Hang on a minute, let's talk about the other mystery that's now come to light." Blake over-exaggerated her shrug and ignorant bottom lip pout. "You kept this from me, my best friend pouring her heart out in a journal, and confessing her love for my own sister, all this time and your mouth was frozen shut by the Ice Queen, I presume?"

"I felt that it was honourable to treat her secret thoughts the way she did, with confidentiality."

"Honourable, you mean like stealing her diary and reading it in the first place? Knowing it was private."

"You read it too!"

"Only 'cos you showed me!

"Well, nothing had changed until now. Weiss was acting normal, well, normal for Weiss anyway, and Yang didn't catch on because there's nothing to catch onto. But look at them earlier, something's about to kick off, and we get to watch the drama unfold."

"And the reason you had to share this with me now was so you could have someone to discuss it with?" Blake gazed downwards and unsuccessfully wrestled with a smile that took over and brightened up her whole face in way of reluctant agreement. Ruby smirked. "So catty, I love it." They skipped the next period to read the diary and snigger at Weiss and her struggles of being a useless lesbian.

At the end of Professor Port's lengthy lecture, Yang's mind was still blown by what had happened between her and Weiss. He had been telling them a, for once, interesting story about the time he spent in the jungle stalking Grimm, mainly venomous ones, in hopes of catching them and milking them to make antidotes. Yang only heard the punchline. The question of what Weiss had been feeling when she had Yang pressed up against a wall raged inside her mind, round and round like a malfunctioning washing machine stuck on high spin. She flit from one extreme to the other, where Weiss alternately hated and loved her. She was equally afraid of both.

She got to kick back and enjoy the show as Pyrrha dispatched Grimm by their weak points, one after another, at the precise instruction of Professor Port. She noticed Weiss' notes on the matter, and pointed out that technique was far more important to the flight of a javelin than physical strength. Pyrrha did have imposing arms, Yang could not deny, though, to be honest, it hardly mattered as Pyrrha probably used her semblance to control her weapon when it was out of her hands. Weiss then went on a tirade about how Pyrrha was literally the best fighter that Beacon ever had, and everything she did was perfect so Yang felt obliged to correct her. Pyrrha was good, yes, but she was withdrawn and played her cards close to the chest, whereas, given unbridled use of her semblance, she could be absolutely devastating. If Pyrrha fought more like Yang, she would probably be the most powerful Huntress on Remnant. They knocked heads over whether it was smart or not to conceal the true extent of power.

Overall, it was a good laugh and even though it was weird to act all chummy with Weiss, it was brilliant to chat with someone who revered the skill of combat. Although Yang's was more intuitive and Weiss was more textbook, common ground was forged over a combination of both being the best strategy for success. They were still talking about it as they walked through campus, using their free period as a study hour. Yang had following Weiss automatically, it was almost like she gave a shit about her future or something.

"There's no need to wear those aviators, Yang. We're indoors, you know." Weiss was telling Yang off and they had only been in the library for two minutes.

"Yesterday my selfie got over hundred hearts, I haven't checked for a couple hours but I bet it's more than that now. So I'm officially a celebrity, and I need to remain inconspicuous." Yang was reclining in her chair, resting her long legs on the table and stretching her arms up and behind her, resting her head in her hands, her long golden hair flowing freely behind her. Yang looked like Yang always looked, very in-your-face and manifestly noticeable.

She had arranged her textbooks in a semi-circle around her workspace but it was mainly for decorative purposes. The combination of herself and Weiss, linking arms and walking through the campus, caused a stir, and they could both feel all eyes on them. In the library it was no different, so it hardly mattered whether Yang made a spectacle of herself or not, people would look anyway. She could tell that Weiss was annoyed by it. In a way, she was glad Weiss had returned to scolding her at every given opportunity, at least it was not awkward.

Weiss pushed Yang's legs off the table and dumped a massive ring binder in their place. Yang jerked forward as her legs went down and she tipped her sunglasses lower so she could read what was in front of her. "What's this?"

"These are my notes since the beginning of term." Weiss opened the folder and flipped through the pages for Yang to see. Yang leaned away from them like they contained the plague. "Yang! These are my personal notes that I use to revise. Count my trophies, I've won awards for note-taking, show some respect." Yang shrugged as if to say so what. "You're a dope, we both know it. You need all the help you can get, this is the best of the best, the crème de la crème, literally the only thing that can help you now."

Yang kissed her teeth. "Fine." She folded her arms grumpily and stared, mindless, as Weiss showed her where to start. Weiss left her to get on with it, and went to work on some other project. Yang's mind boggled at the ring binder before her. She had been to the same lectures as Weiss, but the girl had made her own textbook out of the knowledge. Her handwriting was a neat and precise script, in many places it looked like print. There were words that Yang had never heard of, let alone knew the meaning of, so she scratched her head, very unsure of herself.

Yang chewed the top of her pen because she had nothing better to do, but otherwise her face was completely blank, covered eyes blatantly unfocused. Weiss looked up from her work. "What are you doing?"

"Weiss, I told you I'm thick as shit. I don't understand any of this."

"How do you not- WILL YOU TAKE THOSE STUPID THINGS OFF YOUR FACE?!" she blurted out and was hushed ferociously from all directions. Her cheeks blossomed with pinkness, but her expression was deathly serious.

Yang had been put in her place by the bossy heiress, and she fell from her great height back into reality. Sheepishly, she took the aviators off and put them in her inside pocket. Weiss nodded and got up to stand over Yang.

"Thank you. Look, here's what you need to learn, listed in black. The blue numbers reference the pages of the notes I've taken in lectures," she turned the pages near the back of the ring binder, and showed Yang her pencil-written notes. "And the purple numbers reference pages of the textbook. The fine print at the bottom summarises the extra reading relating to the topic. The red lines indicate a word that is defined in the glossary I've compiled at the back."

Yang's eyes finally drank in the information pouring out of the file. Weiss had put a ton of effort into this. No wonder she aced every test, if these were the revision notes she produced. Weiss stayed behind Yang's chair and talked her through the topics, one by one. Yang nodded along, it was easy when she had the smartest girl in school helping her, and when her perfume was a light, elegantly sweet scent and tickled Yang's fancy. It occurred to her after the third or fourth time it happened, that she craved more and more the thrill of Weiss accidentally touching her, and was slyly finding opportunities to make it happen more often.

Lilac eyes drifted over Weiss as she was explaining something, whatever it was, Yang had stopped listening minutes ago. She was mesmerised by the graceful way that the Ice Queen moved her lips as she spoke, and the way her eyes danced when she read from the page. There were the little details too, like the way her skin started to glow slightly after she recited something from memory, and the way her tongue would poke out of the corner of her mouth when she was concentrating. Yang knew she had been staring for too long by the time she caught herself. Fuck, Yang was lost in a lustful haze and wild fantasies coursed through her mind, all involving Weiss who was now persevering to get Yang's attention.

"Oh. Uh, sorry what was the question again?"

"What are you playing at, dum dum? This is important, remember what we agreed. I have to help you, whether you like it or not because you need to do this. Your future depends on it, what could be more important than passing your exams and becoming a Huntress?"

 _Sex. Sexy girls with lush lips and gorgeous eyes._ Fuck, Yang's shaky breathing was barely adequate to supply her brain with oxygen and she had to hold onto the edge of the table for support. She took in another deep breath of Weiss' heavenly perfume and sought out her clear sky-coloured eyes. It was then that she realised that Weiss was now staring right back at her, most pointedly at her lips.

Yang sucked in a few paltry pints of air that she would have to have make last, as in the heat of the moment while they were afraid of, but straining to touch, neither girl had the capacity for breath. Weiss was close enough that Yang's pretty features blurred, so she shut her eyes. Yang followed suit and they let nature take its course.

The lunch bell thought it might be a shame if their little teenage moment of romance got ruined, so it sang to them, nice and loud, the song of its people. The disrupted teenagers were not amused.


	4. Chapter 3: A Night at the Bar

**Chapter 3: A Night at the Bar**

Weiss jumped the ten feet to the ground, too impatient to let the airship land safely. Without a backwards glance, she marched onwards at dizzying speed, leaving her friends in the dust. Yang and Blake alighted gracefully, and turned to Ruby to sort out their wayward teammate, but the youngest, yet seemingly most mature, girl folded her arms and frowned deeply at Yang.

"You should go after her."

Yang shrunk backwards at the prospect. "Why me?"

"You've spent a whole week in cahoots with her, my dear sister. You're her new best friend and, also the reason she's pissed. So I've decided to use my sacred powers bestowed upon me as the fearless leader of Team RWBY to delegate this wonderful task to you," Ruby said, with a cute, but devious smile. Blake used her dark, serious eyes to show she meant business and had Ruby's back.

Yang kicked the ground in disgust, spreading airborne dirt around their feet. "It's not my fault she's a glass cannon." She dug in her heels and crossed her arms, like a stubborn stick in the mud. "I'm not going, you should go." The socially awkward sister was the best person for the job, she had a certain _je ne sais quoi_ when it came to dealing with a moody, caffeine-deficient Weiss.

"Nope." Ruby shunted Yang in Weiss' direction with a gutsy shove. Yang stumbled in her quest to stay put. "You're going, because this is your mess, and because I said so and that's final."

"But you heard her on the airship, she wants to be left alone. She'll only shut me down again if I try to talk to her." Ruby planted herself into the ground and braced herself against Yang to push as hard as she could. She struggled hard against Yang's inertia, and made frantic communications to Blake purely with jerky eye movements. She hoped that her silent plea for help got through.

"If you don't go, I will call you a pussy for the rest of your life." Deadpan Blake reared her ambiguous head again. The ever so slight quirk of her lips gave her away.

A thousand puns burned the tip of Yang's tongue. But even she could admit that there was a time and a place for jokes, and this was not it.

Ruby pounced on Yang's momentary confusion, and gave her an encouraging slap on the back. "Congratulations, you've got the job!" she cheered sarcastically, and nudged the back of Yang's locked knees and forced her forwards yet again. Yang hung onto balance by her fingertips, tripping and styling it out with a half-run which made her stumble again, continuously for several social media-worthy minutes. She was now a good few yards ahead of a stern-looking Blake and an unsympathetic Ruby who had purposefully not moved an inch to help her.

The airship had finally fully unloaded its cargo and was taking off again, causing an even bigger dust cloud than Weiss had. The tsunami engulfed them in seconds, Yang received the full blast in the face while Ruby and Blake fared much better as they had their backs to it. When the air had cleared, Ruby and Blake were nowhere to be seen.

Yang rubbed her face, trying to dislodge the painful sand and spat out the grit that had flown into her unguarded mouth. "Fucking ninjas. I hate them." Talking was not such a great idea as her throat was bleeding from the finer particles that had found their way in there. The subsequent ribcage-trembling coughing fit was even less fun. An all-over body itch made a strange jig jerk through her limbs. Yang shook out her clothes as best she could, watching dust trickle to the ground through watery, bloodshot eyes. Weiss must have been miles away by now, leaving Yang way behind, a spluttering wretched mess.

Yang plodded across the airship landing in what she hoped was the right direction, her range of vision reduced to just beyond arm's reach. Weiss dropped to the bottom of her priority list in favour of an immediate shower; she looked an absolute state. She dreaded to think of what her options were for purging her clothes of this devilish sand, it would pain her greatly but she could throw them out and get new ones if the worst comes to the worst. She clutched her scarf at the thought, terrified of losing it, and also sending a river of sand down her chest and cleavage. Another major concern was the several pounds of sand trapped in her knotty mass of windswept hair, which was leaking out in streams of grey dust with every slight jostle.

"What the fuck happened to you?"

Yang knew the voice, but there was no way that she could have possibly caught up to Weiss. "Where did you come from?"

"I followed a suspect trail of rose petals," she said airily.

Yang wiped her face again. It was still not clean. "Listen, Ice Queen, I might be half-blind right now, but I can see that there are no rose petals around here, way too breezy. And I thought you weren't talking to me anymore."

Weiss shivered, she had acted like a whiny bitch the entire mission. She felt guilty even as she was doing it, and yet continued her immature behaviour all during the journey back. She could tell from her teammates' reactions that she was insufferable, so they had several heated rows, even involving Blake who would normally roll her eyes and ignore petty spats. Weiss had invented a whole little drama by herself, and it did not take much to drag an irritable Yang into it. Ruby rushed to mediate the dispute, but ended up being accused of taking sides, so Blake was forced to intervene as the only logical one left. Blake told them all to shut the fuck up using the most bone dry sarcasm she could fit in a sentence and unsurprisingly, Weiss didn't take it well. Her face had gone redder than ever, and she spat acid at anyone who dared to so much as look at her. She liked the sound of her own voice, though, and was trying to provoke further reaction so she was justified in overreacting. Yang and the others were running out of patience since she kept talking despite her claims that, while she was stuck on their team for the next three years, she would not be speaking to any of them unless she was expressly ordered to by a superior.

"I saw them trying to push you to talk to me. Thought I would save you the trouble."

"That's not very Ice-Queeny of you. What's really going on?"

Weiss used her sleeve to wipe Yang's face, Yang's face screwed up like a naughty child having her nose cleaned by a saliva-moistened motherly thumb. "We're gonna need to hose you down before you come inside. I won't have you tracking muck all through our dorm."

Yang squinted behind her at the trail of sand she had left in her wake. To be perfectly honest, she had failed to consider how she was going to get in good hygienic order without making a horrendous mess. She shrugged it off causing small clouds of particles to puff from her clothes. "Nice job trying to avoid my question. Why did you come back for me?"

"I wanted to tell you something, and then I saw that you needed help. You do want my help, don't you?" Weiss began to agitate strands of Yang's hair and loosened a vast amount of sand trapped there. Yang now had a thick coat of the stuff down one leg.

"Oh, great," she tutted. "Hate to break it to you, Ice Queen, but your help sucks." She feint-kicked at Weiss to shake some of the crap off her leg.

Weiss jumped back, and got annoyed at herself for falling for it. "I said a good hose down would be effective. You're not afraid of a bit of water, are you, Yang?"

"Put this down on the list of things I never thought I would be doing in my life." Yang stood, cringing, on the most private patch of grass they could find within reach of one of the garden hoses, with her eyes closed, waiting for her first 'shower'. She had taken off and beaten the sand out of her outermost clothing, leaving her exposed down to her undies and bra. She realised while undressing that, when wet, her under layers were not going to hide anything at all, so she had one hand each defending her two main vital areas.

Weiss squeezed the trigger of the hose nozzle, aimed nowhere near Yang, but so that the brawler flinched when she heard the water flow. Weiss sniggered to herself and was privy to quite a pervy view of a shivering, semi-naked Yang. "You ready?"

"Just do it already!"

"Turn around so I can get your back. That way I can get most of it out of your hair first." And a really good look at Yang's butt _._ Weiss perfectly maintained her resting bitch face and kept hints of her secret agenda out of her speech pattern. The moment the jet hit Yang's back, it looked like she had an extra layer of dark melting skin. Weiss thought it would be done in 30 seconds, but she had to drench poor Yang for over five minutes with the freezing cold water as the sand just kept flowing. But the more of it that ended up on the lawn, the less it could clog their drains. She even lost interest in Yang's butt, and concentrated on her job as hoser-downer.

When she asked Yang to face her, she almost dropped the hose. Yang had given up on hiding herself and she was shaking out her soaked hair, and it made her breasts jiggle wonderfully in a way that was sure to offend some physicists. Heat washed over Weiss as the material of Yang's already translucent underwear had gone completely see-through, and she could see _everything._ Yang lacked the patience for Weiss' hesitation. "What are you waiting for? Come on, do me. Do me with the hose," she said through chattering teeth.

Weiss gulped and her knees were seconds away from buckling. "A shaking hand raised the nozzle, and when she squeezed she could barely bring herself to look.

Good god, Weiss now soaked and not because of the unpredictable splashes that she had been unable to avoid. It was all down to Yang and her body of a ripped goddess, and the thousands of sparkly water droplets that caught the sun and ran down all her curves in suggestively satisfying ways. With the bulk of the visible sand washed away, Yang was looking damn sexy again, more than enough to make Weiss to lose her cool. Yang had gotten used to the water, but her nipples were stubbornly reacting to the temperature, and it was sending Weiss loopy trying to ignore them. Weiss could feel hers so hard that she was sure they had left scratch marks on the inside of her bra.

Fuck it, she thought, she was going to have her cake and motorboat it too. She let go of the hose and whipped out her scroll. "One sec, this needs to be documented."

"Hey!" Yang hid herself, shy all of a sudden.

"Aw, come on. Don't be a spoil sport." Weiss said, while chuckling, and started clicking away. She had snapped at least a dozen photos before Yang came around, including a somewhat blurry close-up of Yang's fabulous glutes, and allowed herself a smile when she saw that Yang finally joined in the fun. Weiss took some nice pictures, they had good light, and Yang was a competent and compliant model. Every time Weiss checked her camera roll, she wanted to compliment Yang on her beauty, but she could only come up with one word -perfect- while the pictures said far more than ever she could.

"Send those to me, will you?"

"Sure," she shrugged, and pinged the files over to Yang. "Which one do you like most?"

"Hang on," Yang said, and reached for her scroll. "Wow, Weiss, these look pro. How did you get them like that?"

Weiss sighed softly. "I told my dad I needed a graphic editing suite for school, and he bought me a new scroll with this on it. It's good, right? Watch, I can make an ordinary picture outstanding." Weiss completely lied to Yang in that the picture she was going to use as an example was an extraordinary picture to start with. The lighting, exposure, and focus were on point to a semi-professional level and Yang had perfected an oblique twist to get a well-lit view of her fine ass and stunning tits in the same shot. Her hard and tough illusion was softened by her dampness and it seemed like her hair had been tamed. The ultra-feminine side glance through thick eyelashes and slightly open, submissive mouth made the picture so attractive already that Weiss was having second thoughts about the re-touch. Still, Yang expected to see something eye-popping.

First, Weiss cleaned up the image, erased the pile of dirty clothes that were to Yang's left, and smudged away the spot of soot that she missed with the hose, she expertly used her virtual tools to alter the lighting and injected colour to give Yang a golden tan, exaggerated her lips with a red filter, and brightened her damp hair to show more blonde. Using precise control of the stylus, she was able to paint makeup onto Yang's already gorgeous face. Happy with the final product, she placed her scroll side-by-side with Yang's displaying the untouched version. The contrast was staggering, one could infiltrate a glossy magazine editor's desk and the other was laughably amateur in comparison. Yang leaned closer to the two devices to feast her eyes on her artificially enhanced self.

How vain must it be to take your own breath away, Yang wondered briefly, but Yang held that breath and bit her lip, while she stared at herself in deep longing. She was extremely proud of the physique that she had carved through years of hard training and strictly-controlled eating, displaying it was, in a way, the whole point. Honestly, it was pornographic, or at least it could be a thumbnail for a link to a video that leads to further things. Or one could argue that it was pure art, showcasing and celebrating the glorious combination of fortunate genetics and extreme conditioning that a disciplined human body can achieve. Weiss attempted to move away and take her scroll with her but Yang grabbed her device so she could keep staring at it.

"Ok, here, you hold it," she said, giving Yang a judgmental look. "I'll get you a towel while you admire yourself." Weiss pointedly cleared her throat when she received no acknowledgement that Yang had heard her, and got fed up of waiting for a response rather quickly. "Tch, you're welcome." she declared sarcastically, and marched off at her speedy rage-walk pace.

Yang spent her time waiting wrapped up in the act of gazing at her picture until it began to look hideous. After a certain length of time, she began to notice her flaws which even Weiss' clever, quick editing could not conceal. She still sent herself the image file, in the grand scheme of things, it was a great picture and could probably be uploaded to her feed with a bit more touch up work. #WinTheDay pretty accurately described how she felt when she thought about her aesthetic figure and consistent hard work she put in to maintain it. She reckoned that with some gratuitous hashtagging, the post would easily get over a hundred hearts, a feat that she was somewhat worried that she would not be able to reproduce since #YangvsNora. Especially since the original occurrence was under special circumstances in that over 500 people witnessed the event she memorialised with her selfie.

A little over a hundred was a fairly modest amount, considering that the post was viewable to the entire Beacon network even if she was not a second- or third-degree connection. A few hours after the fight, someone had posted a link to the HD replay that was freely available through the Beacon Command app. Yang kicked herself a bit, for not thinking of it first, as it amassed thirty thousand views in under an hour. She was sure that most people had heard about it by now, as people she had never met or seen before were complimenting her improvements since the Vytal Festival, some came with tips on tightening up her footwork or offside defence. Forget Ruby, word-of-mouth was by far the fastest thing at Beacon Academy.

Weiss was a little surprised to see Yang not still affixed to the scroll screen, but instead sat on a dry-ish patch of grass with her body mostly hidden behind folded legs. She stood up and stretched a bit before Weiss wrapped the fluffy towel around her, clearly a tad nervous as she dropped one corner and fumbled for an embarrassingly long time before getting a grip. Yang drew the dryer warmed towel tighter around herself and noted with astonishment that this was one of the Ice Queen's monogrammed expensive, fancy towels that was part of a seven-piece set that came with its own presentation box. She had only seen it once before, when Team RWBY moved back into their dorm at the start of term and Weiss unpacked it. Yang questioned the motive of such a grand gesture. But when Weiss asked her, "All good?" She shrugged casually and answered in the affirmative.

Weiss collected Yang's clothes, bagged them up in a bin bag and handed it to Yang. She followed Weiss through the campus, dodging as many people as they could, keeping a safe distance from Weiss who was changing course depending on the number of people going past. On the way, Yang had to dig through her bag of clothes to check that her scarf was in there, but that turned out to be a mistake as her whole hand and forearm were covered in that fucking sand again. She cursed under her breath and wiped her arm, realising too late that it was not her own towel. She was busy listing off all the swears she knew in a whisper tone and trying to hide the mess on Weiss' towel while simultaneously not getting it any dirtier. It was bad going from the start, to have any hope, she would have to strip the towel. She could only pray that Weiss didn't notice but who was she kidding, at least this way Yang had time to prepare for the argument since Weiss was the type of person who would notice and definitely say something. On the bright side, it was like their previous conflict was completely forgotten.

"Hey, Weiss, I thought you had something important to tell me." Yang had nearly completely forgotten that as well.

"Yes, actually I've been waiting for the opportune moment to say something."

"What's wrong with right now?"

"It's big news."

"Wow, that doesn't sound ominous or anything!" Yang quipped. "You have to tell me, now you've got me worried."

"It's nothing scary, at least not for you. It's big, but it's good news. Bumped into Yatsuhashi when I walked ahead, he said the gym is back open-"

"The gym? Fuck yeah, it's about time. I'm going kinda crazy without it."

"Yeah, we can all tell," Weiss said disapprovingly, "You always look like you want to break something."

Yang thought back to her recent behaviour and she could definitely tell where they got that impression. At first, she thought she could reduce her calories to compensate for the lack of physical activity, but she became doubly irritable from the hunger and the lack of workouts. She ended up eating her normal active diet but with extra snacks on top to keep her mood elevated. This also caused a couple of extra pounds of fat to accumulate mostly on her legs, hips and butt, but nobody noticed, or perhaps everybody had the sense not to say anything. Except Yang was very aware of it, and cursed those additional lines on the bathroom scales and the bigger fold of skin she could pinch near her belly button. "You sure the gym is back?"

"That's what I heard and that I had to see it to believe it."

"See it to believe it? What is that, some kind of motivational bullshit? Just keep your head down and get to work, that's my motto."

"I think he was saying that we should go check it out. Seems much more simple."

Yang smirked. "This is how I know we're back on good terms, there's this strange sound, I never realised what it was before but now I hear that it's your smartass mouth."

"Better than being a dumbass."

"Rich git."

"Ignorant swine!"

"Basic bitch."

Weiss exclaimed melodramatically at the insult, and slapped Yang on her bare arm. There was no give in Yang's hard, muscular arm and Weiss stopped in her tracks, making it easy for Yang to thwap her back much harder. Weiss had little time to think of a way to retaliate as Yang might have been trying to mock her by speeding off at an unfriendly pace so she trod her toe into the trailing end of her personalised towel. Yang continued on, the towel did not. It took her a moment to realise, but when she did, no fucks were given and Yang sashayed on her way, giving Weiss a lovely, lingering eyeful of her swaying behind and two middle fingers thrown up behind her.

Empowered by her newfound towel-free cheekiness and being full of banter-based cockiness, Yang held herself tall and proud as she strode towards her ultimate goal; a long, hot, deep cleansing, indoor shower. She was giddy, wearing zero clothes walking freely around a public space in broad daylight, and not just Weiss, but everyone who crossed her path was treated to a glimpse of her _everythang_. Apparently, people liked what they saw because Yang had acquired a little group of fans who were shadowing her like a paddle of ducklings, led by Queen Duckling, Weiss Schnee. Despite the fact that it, technically, wasn't illegal because she was wearing underwear, if someone were to research that technicality, they would learn from at least 30 voluntary eyewitness accounts that Yang's under garments were less than worthless at their designated job due to their translucency.

Queen Duckling noticed that all her little subordinate ducklings were taking out their scrolls and attempting to capture this precious moment for themselves. Under immense time pressure, Weiss created a whole new email account and signed up for a username on Scrollmates, one that she was fairly lucky to acquire,  ΩBeaconBabes, and linked it with her own account. She roughly assembled a profile in seconds, using the images that she had to hand. As for the centrepiece, the very first post she made, it was the picture that hypnotised Yang. Her thumbs were typing so hard and fast that the movements were invisible to the human eye.

She started with the obvious links, ΩWeissSchnee, and ΩBangaYangXL. Her goal was to get the most people to see the image, so her next port of call were her friends who had the most mates, namely ΩTheUndisputed, ΩHausofCoCo, and ΩFantasticBang. Followed by everyone else she knew in vague order of importance: ΩLilRedSnipingHood, ΩTheTokenBlackOne, Ωthatblondguy326, ΩNotRen, ΩNotNora, ΩSixPackSecrets, ΩDrinkUpMeHeartiesYolo, ΩBunnyGurl_x, ΩYatsuhashi, ΩTheThingsISay, ΩCardinWinchester, and ΩWinterSchnee to officially send the photo global, and then she went through her whole contact list and added the remaining names. She had second thoughts about including ΩQuistisMcGonagall69, but then she figured that the good professor's network of acquaintances would be vastly different to her own and all her friends' similar ones, so it would open up new avenues for the picture to spread. 'SHARE & TAG UR MATES' she ordered, and uploaded it.

In a matter of seconds, notification tones could be heard from the crowd behind her and she knew that this plan would work. Weiss ran ahead of Yang to film more footage, already deciding that she would upload their first video as soon as she'd had a chance to sit down and perfect it. She wasn't interested in a huge production value, she could manage it on her scroll, a few tongue-in-cheek effects here and there, just enough to capture a hint of humour. Soon, the account was overflowing with notification pop-ups, people were tagging ΩBeaconBabes in photos of their own. Her interconnected web of social links was buzzing with life, roused by the sight of Yang artfully showing a lot of skin. Weiss was glad that people were finally agreeing with her opinion on Yang's physical assets but felt cut up that to do that, she had to intentionally deprive Yang of any and all privacy. Weiss got over it pretty quickly, and she was sure Yang would too.

Move over, Pyrrha Nikos, there's a new celebrity taking over Beacon and she has _followers_. Fitting, really, that the famous fighter figuratively unleashed the avalanche with her one-word comment: 'WOW' plus a flame emoji and tagging her tourney friends. The amount of hearts instantly jumped to three digits and kept climbing. Weiss' little pet project was snowballing uncontrollably in a good way and she couldn't accept the friend requests quick enough.

Yang had reached the large doors of their dorm building and she stopped short of the threshold and turned to her adoring fans. Weiss rushed to her side and took the plastic bag out of her hands and Yang raised her arms in a V. Her abs were pulled in tight, drawing attention to the detail she had chiselled there, she was tensed in all the right places, and #ShreddedAsFuck. The new account was blowing up with hundreds of photos of this pose, and Yang was trending hard. ΩBeaconBabes was lit.

Yang and Weiss entered the library for their usual lunchtime study session, still high from their small suck on the salty dick of internet fame. Disappointingly, Yang was fully dressed now. She and Weiss had been bested by the strange language of laundry symbols, so Yang reluctantly agreed to have her clothes sent to the off-site dry cleaners and she made sure to mention her scarf about three times and wrote a special note to go with her bundle that explained how to wash and treat her scarf and that it was especially to be looked after. She would have to wait two working days for their return. Weiss rolled her eyes and huffed that it was taking too long. They chose a table with their backs to a wall and with a good view of the rest of the library.

Being prohibited from making a lot of noise, Yang and Weiss adopted stone faces to fend off all the stares they were receiving; one person's phone went off while they were looking and the person immediately stared at them intently along with everyone else. Yang broke the seal and lost her serious face, turning bright red and succumbed to embarrassing giggles of increasing loudness. The laughter instantly affected Weiss, but she was corpsing for at least a minute before she let out a prolonged snort and then burst out laughing at the noise she made. That made it ok for people in the vicinity to come by and join them.

"This is you, right?" said a student Yang had never met before, holding up his scroll with the full-screen version of Yang's picture. They had not had the chance to get out their books yet. She glanced quickly to Weiss who then confirmed her identity. He sat down next to her, eyes fixed on her face. "Are you a model?"

Yang was ready to start laughing, modelling was a ridiculous profession, made up of stupidly young, airheaded bimbos simultaneously playing up to and ignoring the camera wearing exorbitantly-priced, cheaply-made clothes, impractical shoes and inch-thick make up. The end result of the pictures did not even resemble their imperfect subjects, so much editing and post-production obscured the human form into some fabricated paragon of flawless beauty, manufactured and polished to death for public mass consumption. "No," Yang snorted, "as if I would be caught dead doing something as lame as that."

Somebody else sat down to the right of their new friend. "Oh my god, are you the Beacon Babe?"

It was unavoidable now, Yang let it get to her, she tittered behind her hand even though they were supposed to be quiet. The name did sound like a bad joke out loud, but it sure looked good next to a profile picture. Weiss was using her magic fingers to edit some more pics, make them ready and appropriate for the feed, hungry for more likes. Once she hit the first thousand hearts, she knew she was in too deep.

"You've gotta be a model, I would kill to look like that."

"I heard you were getting signed to some big fancy agency from downtown."

Yang seemed unsure of how to react to her overwhelming new admirers, she had always joked about having adoring fans, but to actually have people think of you as a consumable and your time and attention as a precious commodity was a very surreal experience indeed. All she could manage was repeatedly thanking her complimenters.

Weiss stepped in, taking a brief pause from cutting out the unusable and boring footage she had taken. "Yeah, but it's no big deal. I just saw something beautiful and wanted to share it so other people could enjoy it too."

"What's your secret? You look fantastic."

"Yeah, that picture is literally amazing!"

Whispers spread around the aisles of the library. It was _her_ , the Beacon Babe, the fighter chick who was semi-infamous from her disqualification in the Vytal Festival, but now no one remembered the scandalous front page article she was featured in by the school paper, the Beacon Bugle, looking drab and defeated. All anyone could see, was the picture of Yang in her underwear, and it was being passed around like a gentleman's special interest magazine at a frat house full of freshmen. Their table quickly ran out of seats, so people pulled up chairs from all over the library, or stood craning their necks to get a good look at the latest spectacle.

They ended up retelling the story of how Yang ended up semi-nude and soaking wet about three times in full, and each time, the raucous laughter at the high points got wilder and more chaotic, until it sounded like there was a party in the library. A queue had formed to take pictures with Yang, who happily obliged, and Weiss sat nearby, collecting usernames and PIN codes to add to their account. To speed up the process, Weiss called for everyone to scan a barcode that her scroll had produced, and she also sent it in a mass email to her entire contact list. Weiss could not remember a time when she had seen the library so busy before, it was not long before news travelled far and wide that the naked girl was in there, and more people kept piling in to gawk at her.

"This library requires silence! I will not stand for this lack of decorum!" Professor Goodwitch cried. The reaction was swift, the room was subdued. People were afraid to cough. "Miss Xiao Long, Miss Schnee, if you'd like to follow me please."

Yang and Weiss wiped the tears of mirth out of their eyes. They were just at the crescendo of their little human interest story for the fourth time for their captive audience. Any other professor, and the pair would have received jeers and derision, but everyone was terrified of the combat instructor, so there was complete silence as the two mischievous teenagers tamely followed their teacher out into the hallway.

"Are you, and remember that honesty will help you here, are you responsible for this?" She held up her tablet scroll coldly in front of their faces. There's no prizes for guessing what she was showing them. Yang and Weiss barely avoided exchanging a knowing look, and they shut their mouths tighter than the Achieve Men's skinny jeans. "No answer? You do realise the dangers of online predators and the trouble that this could attract, this could cause a very serious breach of security. Can you even imagine what you may have inspired other students to do now? This is hardly appropriate at any age, but you could cause some serious psychological damage to yourselves by putting such private information in public domain."

The professor snapped her scroll shut, and exuded tremendous authority when she scowled down the bridge of her nose at the two teenagers.

"Why did you do this? Miss Schnee, I'd like an answer, now please, and I want the truth."

Yang and Weiss had grown remarkably devious smiles while the professor was talking, it was impossible not to be proud of what they had done. By the time Weiss sat down in the library, she had accepted their joint account's 800th mate request. She had given Yang access as well and the playful punster had hashtagged indiscriminately, exposing their profile to as much of the public as possible, coming up with this gem #WarningSexyWhenWet. Yang and Weiss looked at each other with tiny yet detectable amounts of guilt, but mysteriously forgot all the words they knew as they turned back to Goodwitch, they only had those fiendish smiles. Weiss shrugged almost in slow motion, a sarcastic exaggeration, almost as if she was waiting for the halo to light up.

Professor Goodwitch was not amused. Her eyebrows were pulled into a tight frown, and behind her spectacles, her emerald eyes sparkled with danger.

"I have been forced to show this to the headmaster, and I fear this will have to be shown at a disciplinary hearing, if there were to be one."

Weiss turned to Yang, who seemed unperturbed, trying to spread the fire of excitement to her companion. Of course, Yang didn't think five minutes into the future, let alone the length of time that a mock trial in a kangaroo court could take. Hundreds of thousands would see the image if she was to be publicly punished for it. Not only that, it would do wonders for notoriety, guaranteeing worldwide coverage.

"While this is not explicitly prohibited in Beacon's rulebook, my disapproval has never been more severe. I am warning you now to watch your behaviour. Anymore _disturbances_ originating from the two of you, and I'm afraid there will be dire consequences."

Professor Goodwitch seemed to be under the impression that they did not want people to see the photo. Boy, how wrong could a person be? They wanted the exact opposite. Yang was already close to Pyrrha's longstanding record of 7,000 hearts and ΩBeaconBabeshad over 1,000 mates as of ten minutes ago. Goodwitch warned them yet again about the dangers of putting their personal details online before dismissing them. They let her footsteps echo down the corridor, before doing a perfect congratulatory high-five without even a second's glance at each other.

By the evening and after a big dinner, Yang was keen to test whether her scroll would now work on the gym's new door. She could barely wait for the sensor to scan her scroll, and swung the door wide open. It looked so much more spacious compared to before, everything was so brand new and shiny, it glistened under the new lighting system, rewired to current electrical safety standards so no ominous flickering would occur when Yang lowered her deadlift max. They had every machine imaginable, some Yang had only heard about but not used before, so she knew exactly which ones she wanted to try first. A pattern emerged like a fanfare of colours, areas of the gym coded for the body part exercised by the machine. Yang didn't think it could get better, but, unbe-fucking-lievably, it did.

"Oh my god, it's so pretty." Yang could see herself in the clean, rust-free chrome surface of the new power rack, not only that, it came equipped with a top-of-the-range Olympia-standard 20kg bar and matching set of metal weights, in increments as small as 0.5kg at the lower end while the largest plates were 50kg each. Beacon's gym had finally been upgraded out of the Dark Ages and now used the metric system. The new dumbbell rack was 30 feet long, and currently, all the state-of-the-art, thick, rotating-handled dumbbells were in perfect ascending order. Yang felt the urge to run down the row of weights and pick up every one in turn, just to make sure that she could. She touched each one instead on her tour of the new gym.

At the end of the rack, there seemed to be a large empty space, but Yang gazed upwards and saw that the area was designed for suspension training. They had gymnastic rings, a set of monkey bars, parallel and horizontal bars galore, and lots of other fun devices for training with bodyweight. Moving on, she found two platforms reinforced against super heavy weight, so she could practise power cleans and snatches and not worry about damaging the building's foundations. Neatly stored behind them were more gorgeous, shiny barbells and colourful sets of weights, rubber-coated to withstand the impact of being dropped from overhead.

There was a brand new rack just for kettlebells, where previously they were left lying around on the floor of the gym, like a health and safety nightmare, and they had managed to locate the missing ones so that there was a full set of ten pairs. "Oh my god, no way, I don't believe it!" Yang shouted, as she sprinted towards an odd piece of equipment. She jumped inside the strange hexagonal contraption. There were neutral-grip handles either side of her legs and it was loaded with a few thick plates. She did a couple test reps, and then giggled after putting it down. The fact that she lifted 120kg, cold, did not go unnoticed by Weiss who looked up at Yang in awe.

"Wow, I've always wanted one of these. This is gonna make leg day very interesting." Yang didn't notice Weiss' face as she was already onto the next thing.

At first it seemed like a path in between the rows and rows of machines, but the floor was coloured differently to the rest, and it seemed like it had a special coating. Yang spied the sleds and prowlers from the other end and ran along the track to get a closer look. Another section of the gym sprawled around the corner, the entrance was cluttered with other equipment such as farmers' walk frames and huge tractor tyres so Yang nearly missed it, but it led to a large square area dominated by a raised boxing ring. There were at least four undamaged heavy bags and various other tools for hand-to-hand training. She ran to each bag and did a 1-2-3 combo on them to feel how they sprung back against her fists. Yang had never used a punching bag so new, she may have been the first person to use them out of the box, and she delighted in how sturdy they felt. Yang skipped back to the main part of the gym and flipped one of the heavy tyres as she passed, she simply couldn't help herself.

Yang was brought back to reality when she turned around to see Weiss with an impatient look on her face. "Are you done gushing, or what?"

"Oh yeah, sorry, it's just- it's like a new playground." Yang spun on her toes, with her arms out, smiling widely. Weiss rolled her eyes perfunctorily, but she was really thinking about how cute Yang was when she was excited about something. What she wouldn't give to have Yang look at her the way she looked at all the fabulous new stuff, but nevertheless, it was very endearing to watch.

Weiss nodded towards the suspension training area. "Wanna have a go on the climbing frame? Unfortunately, there's no death slide on this one." Weiss liked the look of the gymnastic rings, maybe she could still perform some of the tricks and holds she had learned as a kid.

"Sure, we can do an upper body blitz." Yang jumped to catch the horizontal bar on the rubber grips, and tightened her curled fists around the suspended bar, hanging dead stationary, perpendicular to the floor. Starting the movement from her shoulder blades, she touched her clavicle to the bar, one, two, all the way up to 12 times. Weiss was mesmerised by the coordinated contraction of Yang's back and arms.

"I don't think I can do that," Weiss said, spying the bar above her that might as well be in orbit compared to her height.

Yang knew it would be tough for Weiss, on her own first try Yang had managed six and a half pull ups, but she was seven years old at the time, and weighed considerably less than a fully grown human, even one of Weiss' size. "Give it a try, I'll help you."

Weiss reached as high as she could, even adding a little hop to try and get closer to the bar. Her fingers touched only air, and she landed with a thud, falling at the first hurdle. Yang hid her impatience as she dragged a box underneath the bar and waited for Weiss to climb up. Weiss was barely able to hang for a few seconds before dropping. To be fair to her, she did try to pull herself upwards, but all that happened was that she felt a painfully strong squeeze in her shoulder tendons.

"I'm no good, I can't do it." Weiss turned forlornly to the gymnast's rings, if she couldn't pull herself up, she had lost the strength needed to swing on the rings.

"You're just starting out, it's ok not to be perfect. Try again?"

Weiss was reluctant to even try, in case she failed again. "Isn't there a way to make it easier?"

"I know it's tempting, but you don't want to make it easier. You should be wanting to make it harder but you actually need to learn how to do it first." Weiss made a second attempt, this time cheating by swinging her legs, though she managed to lift herself three quarters of an inch. Baby steps. "Ok, let me think." Yang said, wisely stroking her imaginary goatee. "I've got it, ok, jump."

Weiss was a bit confused, she wanted to follow orders but she was stumped by Yang's unclear message. She stepped off the box to the ground and awaited further instruction. It took a while for Yang to realise how vague she had been. "Sorry, I meant jump up, not down." Yang stood on the box and gave Weiss a quick demonstration of a negative pull up. "Jump up, and hold yourself steady and rigid for as long as you can, while lowering yourself as slowly as you can."

"So, I'm only actually doing half of it."

"Yeah, the eccentric, or negative half. Once you can do like 10-second holds, then you should be ready to do a real pull up."

Weiss stared worriedly at her hands. She did not trust them, that they could even hold her weight for 10 seconds, especially under the stress of trying to move as well. What about her stringy, skinny arms? How could they possess the strength to pull her whole body weight when they had such a small circumference? Yang was not ignorant of her anxiety. "Only last week you lifted your body weight off the ground. You got this."

Weiss pushed off with her toes, her head was over the bar for a second and she caught it slightly too late, but she tensed her arms and held it while she jerkily lowered herself. It was a much quicker descent than 10 seconds, but Weiss felt the burn under her shoulder blades and in her mid-back, more than her arms and her delts. As Weiss practised, she mastered the pattern of grabbing the bar at the peak of her jump to benefit from the full range of motion and minimising the swing so she could lower herself straight as a poker. She did it ten times at least before it was Yang's turn again. She had strapped on a dip belt, and hung a 10kg plate off the chain. Weiss could see that the last few reps made Yang dig deep for the pulling power to get her chin level with the bar.

They had a few more turns at the pull up bar, each girl using their training experience appropriate intensities. Yang took them over to the most recognisable piece of free weight equipment in a gym, a bench press. They had to wait a few minutes for Cardin and Sky to finish their last set, the boys were pressing about 110kg which is quite a decent weight for young lifters. So Yang did some press ups on the floor nearby until the bench was free. Cardin and Sky walked off without unloading the bar when they were done, leaving Yang and Weiss to do it themselves. In the time that Yang had got her side empty, Weiss had barely moved her first 20kg plate even though she struggled her hardest.

"Assholes," Yang said, as she swooped around to help. "Anyway, I'm guessing you've seen this exercise before."

"Yeah, I've heard of it."

"Ok, show me how it's done." Yang stepped to watch over Weiss lifting the empty bar. She unracked it ok, but Yang had little warning that her right arm would shake and give way, while the left, her sword arm, lifted its side with no problem. Yang grasped it from above and helped Weiss put it back. "You gotta really concentrate on keeping it level. Your strength has an imbalance, but don't worry, it's fairly common. You did the pull ups, you can do this. Let's go." Yang's hands hovered close by, ready to assist if anything went wrong.

"This isn't so bad. Once you get the hang of it." Weiss said, after a couple more steady reps. Yang would make her perform more reps if that was the case, but she saw Weiss reach failure at ten reps. She loaded up with a couple of large plates and lay on the bench. She repped them strong, depressing her shoulders blades hard into the bench, and keeping her elbows in line with her wrists.

"How much can you do, like what's the most you've ever done? Is it more than them?"

"I have done, yeah."

"Can you show me?"

"If I do it, will you help me?" Panic crossed Weiss' face. "It only needs the lightest touch."

Yang let Weiss prepare herself while she went to the new, grime-free water fountain, and filled hers and Weiss' water bottles while she had a little rest from benching. She helped to spot Weiss on her go, and then loaded up the bar with Yang's 90% one rep max. She could only outlift them by a couple kilos at most, but it was more than them and that's what mattered. Yang kept a mental scoreboard of the main gymrats' numbers. Yatsuhashi, the most experienced lifter and obviously the biggest dude attending Beacon, held a strong lead in all of the Big Three key lifts.

Yang felt strong for the first two reps, but her elbows really hated that third rep she pushed out with slightly sloppy form. Weiss helped her strip the bar this time, a 20kg plate was the same as a 20kg bar, so she knew she could lift it now. Weiss lay back and knocked out her reps, almost like it was getting too easy for her. Yang wearily loaded her two rep max. She took a step back and rubbed her elbow, before she cautiously decided to wrap them and her wrists. Those next reps made what she was about to do seem a bit easier.

Weiss had her turn again, but Yang put an additional 5kg on the bar and Weiss had regressed to one arm being dangerously deficient in strength that the bar was very wobbly and unbalanced. Yang gave her a hand until she was satisfied that Weiss could do no more. Now, this was it, the big moment. In total, Yang would lift 115kg. She pulled her shoulder blades back and held that position tight, and made the rest of her body entirely rigid from head to toe. Prior to the lift, Yang had informed Weiss that she would need to have her hands an inch away from the bar so she could apply a small force to assist Yang if need be.

Yang unracked. Her pecs and lats were crushing her lungs between them, but the thought of putting it down never crossed her mind. The eccentric was not so bad, a little mistaken angle meant the bar was heading towards her neck but she corrected it, and the bar touched her lower chest. Yang planted her feet solid, re-energised the tension throughout her whole body and pressed the bar away. Weiss' dainty fingers were there for protection at all times, but they were unnecessary, Yang found she could easily have done one more. She was amazed at herself, it was not a number PR, but the last time she dared to do that without a spot, the bar nearly fell on her mouth and broke her teeth. She had struggled and heaved to get it up, looking quite wonky, much like Weiss on her first try. Weiss was suitably impressed by Yang, she had just watched Yang lift the equivalent of double Weiss' bodyweight plus a bit more, but Yang brushed it off.

While they walked over to an unused power rack, Yang had the eureka moment of why she found it so easy. She had been eating more food the recent past few days, treating her muscles to surplus calories. It was a fair tradeoff, slight weight gain for a strength boost, giving her more energy in the gym. But from the moment she walked in the door, Yang had already resolved to stick to her regular diet again, maybe with an extra side salad for a couple of weeks so she didn't get too hungry. Yang felt light and floaty despite the fatigue of her massive power output weighing heavy on her chest. However she had a new exercise to start and teach to Weiss.

"Ok, so, soft knees." Yang pointed to them, and how her legs were ever so slightly flexed. "Back straight for the duration of the lift, shoulders back, and then bend down." Yang reached for the bar. Weiss' eyes almost popped out of their sockets when Yang bent down in those colourful sports tights that clung to her appealing shape, hiding everything and nothing at the same time. "Grab it with your hands in a regular grip and imagine your elbows are being pulled by chains to the ceiling so it looks like this." Yang rowed the bar smoothly, emphasising the squeeze in her back. Weiss did everything in her power to watch Yang's arms, and not her ass.

"So, kinda like a deadlift, but on there?" Weiss pointed to the rack. "And lift with your arms?"

Even though the mirror gave her an excellent view, Yang's head turned almost 180 degrees to stare at Weiss in shock. She actually remembered something from last time. It had been less than a day before Weiss forgot everything Yang told her about nutrition and returned to her original eating habits. Although to be fair to Weiss, diet is the hardest to get right, by far. Naturally she assumed it would be training, but that was actually the easiest part on account of it being so damn fun. "Yeah, but it's called a bent over row. Now give me 10 good ones."

Yang's expert hands carefully adjusted Weiss' stance and position so the angles of her body were optimal. Weiss felt the fibres of her hamstrings elongate and stretch to their full extension. If she had a butt, it would be poking up into the air for all to see, as if she was about to be taken from behind, doggy-style. Yang seeing her in this position was not something she had bargained for so soon, and not at all like this. Weiss gave herself a hard look in the mirror, and told herself to suck it up, bitch. Yang does this all the time, so she brought the barbell to her abdomen and lowered it under control. After five or so reps, it became very difficult to maintain the position so Yang gave her a bit of encouragement by gently spreading her hand on the area of Weiss' back between and just below her shoulder blades. Weiss put the bar down slowly and carefully when she was done. Yang picked it up with ease and knocked out ten easy reps, as a mini warm up. She slapped on some weights and repped that, although at this weight, her forearms were begging her to let go of the bar by the end.

After the set when Yang stood up, her lats were engorged with hot pumping blood making them hugely obvious even from the front. She thrust her chest forwards and used her hands to exaggerate her tiny waist. Her shiny skin, slick with sweat, was bouncing soft light off her arms and shoulders, somehow making it possible for her already larger-than-average frame to seem even more imposing. She was waiting for Weiss to notice her dramatic flex, but she was ignored in favour of her own reflection.

Weiss touched her hair, adjusted her clothes, posed, touched her hair again, and sucked in her stomach. She took a burst of selfies. She then repeated the pattern for three different angles, and then the same angles in different poses. She stood beneath one of the modern light fittings, where the shadows under her muscles would show the deepest contrasts.

"My god, you're so vain," Yang said when she saw the chosen photo to go public.

Weiss' eyebrows crinkled together in an accusatory frown. "Coming from you?"

"Well, if you want my honest opinion, it's pretty clear you think you have a pretty face. I think so too." Yang was surprised that she was able to pinch Weiss' cheek till it went pink. Perhaps Weiss was a bit stunned by being called pretty.

As well as the cheek that was rosy due to Yang, Weiss' face lit up red like a stop sign. "Shut up. You don't really mean that." Back in control again, Weiss regained some composure and attempted to act like someone not in love with Yang.

Unfazed by the almost visible steam coming out of Weiss' ears, Yang was all smiles. "Did I stutter? No, really, I think  ΩBeaconBabes should feature you as a special guest."

Weiss dreaded the thought of her pictures being compared side-by-side with Yang's. "Well, I don't, and you don't have to feel the need to say stuff like that because you are super attractive, and obviously I'm not. I don't need a pity party, especially from the likes of you." Weiss shook her head in a practised way that made her hair fall to cover the eye with the scar.

"Gee, I'm sorry." Yang had hit a nerve, but she wasn't sure she would be able to apologise further without aggravating a Weiss even more. "Can I tell you a secret? As a friend." Weiss regarded her suspiciously before leaning in so Yang could whisper in her ear, "you suck at taking compliments."

Weiss huffed. "That's rude."

Yang pouted and melodramatically crossed her arms to mock her. "Hints for next time, say thank you very much, smile," Yang's thumbs forced Weiss' lips to stretch into a freaky grin, "And say I'm the best friend you've ever had."

Weiss jerked her face out of Yang's grip. "Why don't we just get back to work?"

"Oooooh, and the Ice Queen returns." Yang wiggled her fingers mystically, "That's a good title for a movie."

Weiss threw her sweat towel in Yang's face and stepped in front of her to start her set. Weiss pumped out ten of the most perfect reps Yang had ever seen, and upended her snooty nose when she saw how impressed Yang was with her performance. Then Yang increased the weight, and Yang got to watch her struggle. Needs must, she supposed.

After several more difficult and uncomfortable sets, they moved onto the cable row station. Only an idiot couldn't figure out how to use the pulley, so Weiss sat on the half bench and braced with her legs. The handles were still warm from the last person who used them, and Weiss made a mental note to wash her hands thoroughly after this. Yang directed Weiss non-verbally through the movement by providing a barrier where Weiss' elbows should not stray and let Weiss row with her back. Yang sat down next and tripled the weight that Weiss was using and rowed over half the stack aggressively. She wanted to show Weiss how work was really done. Weiss could already feel how stiff and achy she would be tomorrow, but she had to match Yang's ferocious attack on the weights, and she secretly found amusing the irritated look on Yang's face as Weiss showed no strain.

Yang perked up as she revealed that she had saved the best for last. She had only ever encountered upright chest press machines before, and it always felt like her delts were taking some of the load away from her pecs, which is what the movement is for. She added plates, 10kg at a time, to gauge her working weight. The arms of the machine were so smooth and satisfying, Yang was quite disappointed when her set was over. Weiss sat in the reclined chair, and found her feet swinging a couple of inches from the ground. Yang reached over her body to the lever under the bench that adjusted the height so Weiss could sit comfortably. Weiss pretended she couldn't feel Yang's breasts brush over her while she did so, and tried to focus on the exercise.

This was the first time that Weiss had used a weight machine before, she had once read in a women's magazine that free weights help to burn more fat so that's what she had been doing, but even then Yang showed her she had been doing it wrong this whole time. At least now, big weights didn't scare her. Yang had shown her that iron was her friend. Until tomorrow when she would curse the inevitable DOMS.

Yang was totally pumped after using the lying chest press. It was so much fun, even though her pecs were screaming for her to stop. She was pleased with how little her anterior delts got involved, the pain shot deep into the correct muscles. Her elbows and wrists certainly did not creak and groan the way they did on the free weight bench press, so that was big plus and the pump from her excessive number of reps was insane. Weiss looked around the gym, at the stations they had used, and smiled to herself at the hard, physical work that she did. She felt proud like after finishing an essay or writing a presentation, but pieces of paper were so flimsy and expendable, physical exertion was much more permanent, rewarded with growth and improvement for their efforts.

This time, they walked together back to their dorm, chatting about the new gym, and pointing out the differences from the old one. Back at their dorm, Yang whipped up some whey shakes for her and Weiss. "Here, try some of this."

"What is it?"

"Protein. It's good for you." It looked like a slightly lumpy, yet watered down milkshake. It smelled… _interesting_.

On good faith, Weiss took a big gulp. "Oh god, how do you drink this? It's disgusting." She wiped the remnants from her lips, noting that it had almost immediately dried sticky. It glued the skin of her fingers together until she wrenched them free.

"For the gains." Yang shrugged. "We all do things we hate to get gains. I don't mind it anymore, tastes ok to me."

"It's like a store-bought pina colada mixed with yoghurt that's gone bad."

"Yeah, the jug says peaches and cream and I can kinda see what they were going for, but it's better than some of the others I've tried." Yang shuddered as she remembered the bland tasting vanilla or the thick, sickly chocolate flavour and its variants. She had forced herself to wade through the 120 serving tub, holding her nose, or adding instant coffee granules to mask the flavour.

"I don't think I can-" Weiss was quietened by Yang's stern look, she was not wasting precious protein on Weiss. "Anyway, cheers?"

"Ha, cheers!" Yang said, with a raised eyebrow and cheeky grin, and tapped their protein cups, held up in toast to the sick workout they had. The heiress took a huge swig to get it over with quicker, and suppressed her facial reaction to the stomach-churning residue it left on her tongue and teeth. Yang finished hers in one gulp.

"What time are you headed out?"

"I don't think I feel like going out tonight." Yang said to her shoes. Weiss looked at her oddly, but Yang didn't need to give an explanation as Weiss easily guessed the story.

Yang did not sleep well last night. Weiss was exhausted, it had been a busy, long day for both of them, and Yang had spent her hours in bed going over the possible reasons why, when she left the dorm to go out that night, Weiss approached her in her nightie and hugged her very tightly out of the blue. She spent her time making up imaginary responses to Weiss whispering to her that she smelled great, and that sometimes she would take one of Yang's T-shirts to bed with her. She had also pressured Yang to agree that she would be careful and employ constant vigilance (only Weiss could say such a phrase half asleep). Weiss had allowed her eyes to close and almost passed out standing up, so Yang had to direct her to her bed and practically tuck her in. Which was cute and all, but very confusing, hence Yang's lack of sleep.

"Excuse me, what? I think my hearing must be going because I thought you said you weren't going out."

"Honestly, I don't feel like it. I think I'll just stay in and chill," Yang said, yawning, and closed the phone and PIN-locked the screen, so no one could snoop on her recent text messages.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Yang Xiao Long?"

"What? I'm serious."

"But it's Friday night. You always go out on Friday. I hope I'm not being too forward in saying I thought it would be a nice opportunity to loosen up and have some fun together, just the two of us."

"Some fun? Who are you, and what have you done with the real Ice Queen?"

Weiss had to laugh at Yang's teasing. "It's been ages since I've been out, and school events don't count. I've never seen the nightlife around Vale, you must know a place where we could relax a little, unwind from a hard week. After a day like today, we deserve it. Pick anywhere you want, it's my treat."

"You do realise that the place I go to is a total dive, right? It's probably a bit rough for your tastes."

"I don't mind where we go."

"Oh."

"So we're going then?"

Thinking about it, Yang had to go out with Weiss to a bar when she offered to pay for everything, it was the polite thing to do, and it could be a fun opportunity to see drunk Weiss in an uninhibited state and gain an unprecedented amount of material with which to tease Weiss afterwards. Yang grimaced, still thinking about a stress-relieving bubble bath and her bed, but ultimately, she had to accept, "yeah, ok." She might not get this chance again, so it was silly of her not to grab it.

"Perfect, I'll be ready in about an hour."

Precisely one hour and 57 minutes later, Weiss was putting her ridiculously high shoes on. She teetered back into the bathroom to get her matching diamond dangly earring and put it in while leaning against a wall.

"You ok there?" Yang said, who had been ready for the past hour at least was waiting with her coat in her lap, so bored that she ended up reading clickbait. Yang closed her half-finished article about 27 sex facts that nobody ever knew and one secret nobody could ever guess.

"I'm coming!" Weiss appeared in the doorway and Yang was lucky that her screen was still intact when she dropped her scroll. Weiss' makeup was stunning, her artistically framed eyes were dramatic and tasteful, and they held Yang's attention so long that it took her a while to notice that Weiss had let her hair down and braided sections of it and tied them behind her head to join the rest of her tresses which were loosely curled into ringlets. Yang was severely underdressed compared to her stylish friend.

Yang had never really thought about Weiss' wardrobe before, her clothing always looked brand new, freshly pressed and immaculate, and almost invariably shades of white or sometimes blue. Yang had silently watched her decide between two black garments that were pretty much identical from the back, wondering all the while how the heiress would look in anything other than her trademark colour. Out of the little black dress and the little black dress, Weiss had chosen a little black dress.

Weiss refused to ride Bumblebee because her hair, so she ordered a cab through the handy Summon app. She curled her mouth in disdain when she heard the county of Vale they were headed to; no good could possibly come from a place called Lancaster. Trust Yang to become a regular at a bar on the shitty side of town, it was commonly known as a dilapidated slum. Weiss was not surprised by the exterior, it was an unadorned metal door set in a concrete wall so dirty that moss was growing out of the filth, that also lacked glass windows, they made do with plywood loosely nailed into the rotten frames. There was a broken neon sign of the name of bar, Slippery Dick's, though several of the letters did not light up. Yang was not kidding about it being a dive, and Weiss was already a bit out-of-place and severely overdressed.

Yang was expecting Weiss to complain about their environment from the moment they walked in, it was dank and grimy, the ceilings were unfinished and the dust had grown several inches thick on the ventilation system hanging openly above them. The floor was sticky, and it was lucky that the room was dim because the indoor walls were not that much cleaner than the outer walls. Smoking was banned, but the smell had hardly improved from tobacco smoke, instead stale beer and pit sweat prevailed.

Sequinned clutch in hand, Weiss clip-clopped straight to the bar, mostly ignoring the patrons and the music. Yang was a bit annoyed that Weiss didn't stop to take it all in. Weiss leant forward over the bar on her tiptoes to get the attention of the barkeep. He gave Yang a cursory nod of recognition before smiling at Weiss and beginning his sales patter. With Weiss, he did not need to try and sell her the happy hour drinks because she went straight for the most expensive bottle on the wine list.

"Want me to open up a tab for you, miss?" he said, taking her credit card, noting the platinum silver flash as he swiped it, marking her as indelibly wealthy.

Weiss stared at him like he was an idiot for even asking. "Sure. Do you have Glengoolie Blue?"

The barkeep knew they did not stock that because it was too expensive. "That's on backorder. It's two-for-one on shots tonight."

"I'll take your best bottle of absinthe and two shot glasses." He charged the full price to her card.

Yang was in mild shock as Weiss interacted with the barkeep, and was therefore slow to pick up on the fact that Weiss wanted her to carry something while they looked for a table. It was pure luck that one opened up right next to them. They helped the busboy clear the empties, and he brought them the only ice bucket in the place for their mid-range wine.

"Weiss, have you ever had absinthe before?" Yang was wary of the green liquid after her first encounter a month ago, the horror of the next day only made it worth drinking on special occasions.

"Of course." Weiss offered one of the glasses to Yang with a smile that was far too cheery. "This isn't proper absinthe though."

It certainly looked proper to Yang, it was green, that was the main thing, right? It even said absinthe on the label. Weiss pointed to the fine cursive print below the capital font used for the word 'absinthe' and it said 'style wormwood bitter'. Yang hadn't known any better, she still had no idea what real absinthe was like. Weiss slid a shot glass over to her.

"Well, bottoms up."

Yang and Weiss tipped back their shots and groaned as the liquor burned its way to their bellies. Weiss sipped on the chilled wine, to take away some of the sensation of the shot. Nowhere near as smooth as the real stuff, Weiss did grimace and gag a bit when it went down. Yang groaned again and tapped her feet, trying to ride out the grossness. Weiss handed her the second full flute of sparkling wine. They wordlessly repeated their moment from earlier with the protein cups, smirking as the liquor went straight to their heads.

"So, what do you think?"

"It's not how I imagined, but it doesn't surprise me. Looks good enough for a fun time, it's not the place, it's the people. I've been to some of the most fabulous locations in the world but it was shit because I went with a bunch of assholes."

"I heard you say fun time, so I'm gonna assume that you're enjoying yourself."

Weiss gave her a half-sarcastic, half-sincere thumbs up. It was a bit pointless to try and hold a lengthy conversation, the music was too loud. After Weiss finished her first drink, and by the time time she was pouring more shots, she and Yang had slid closer together so they could at least communicate with short phrases. Yang found herself pleasantly surprised that Weiss was, in fact, quite a lot of fun and she entertained them both with witty comebacks and observational humour. Yang had finally finished her first glass of wine when Weiss excused herself to the bathroom. She didn't really need to go, but she locked herself inside a toilet cubicle anyway.

There were many reasons why Weiss liked cocaine. The high was like winning a race, successfully beating the crap out of someone without taking a glancing hit, the smug feeling of knowing that you're right all the way through a fat argument, and the anticipation of getting laid, rolled into one. Weiss felt a lot more glamorous than should have been possible in a shitty bar's filthy toilet stall. The risky part over with, now she could enjoy the effects of her favourite drug. Cocaine was fantastic for combining with alcohol for daring and risque hilarity. She picked up her champagne flute and paused a moment before putting the glass to her tingling lips and downing the entire thing. She left it in there.

Weiss raised her eyebrows when she saw Yang surrounded by men as she approached their table. She was mildly amused as they performed a familiar scene, a new female entered the mix and, one-by-one, they realised she was hot. She took her place on the cushioned booth as close to Yang as she could get without crossing the invisible boundary of marking territory. Yang smiled brightly at her return, and Weiss reciprocated with a half-numb grin as Yang passed her one of the drinks that one of the many men had clearly bought for her. She kept up a Stepford smile as introductions were made, perhaps being slightly overbearing, even though they all had to raise their voices over the music.

As Weiss got acquainted with Yang's outside-Beacon friends, she deemed them charming and harmless. She enjoyed the friendly atmosphere of their company, but she was aware of the fact that she needed to get in the most words whenever it was her turn to speak. Very quickly, Yang had drifted to an observational role in the conversation, smiling inwardly when she noticed the blatantly obvious signs that Weiss was intoxicated.

Her friends, Kiran, Cole, Denis, and Matt, were completely captivated by Weiss, she knew that between them they were having a friendly race for her affection. She also knew that no matter how brilliant their pick up lines, their plan had zero chance to work when Weiss rest her hand on Yang's knee. Casually taking a sip of her drink, she covered Weiss' tiny hand, squeezed gently, and almost said out loud 'mine'. Weiss' soul jumped ten feet in the air. They were pulled closer together by some unknown force, so that their legs were touching from butt to knee. The boys were having a joke off, getting more and more audacious as they vied for laughs. Weiss was frighteningly good at playing along with their game and still coming off as untouchable.

"We've known Yang for ages now, we were beginning to wonder when we'd get to meet one of her other friends."

Weiss knew that since the new school year started, she and the others were thinking the exact same thing. She was privileged to meet four at once even. The oldest of them seemed to be in his mid to late-twenties, and all of them were at least Sevens, but the alpha was a solid Nine, debatable Ten. They thought of themselves as the local aesthetics crew and they were not far off the mark. Every other girl in the place was looking at them green with envy. It became crystal clear why all Yang's friends were male, intense rivalry prevented any meaningful friendships with women.

"Any friend of Yang's is a friend of ours." A plucky guy on the nearest chair grabbed his chance and slid onto the booth seat beside Weiss. She was leant forward to pour more shots, and he moved so close that she would almost sit on him when she sat back. Weiss had to budge up, closer to Yang to allow herself some space between herself and the newcomer.

After the shots, and Weiss' offer to get a round which was scoffed at and told it was a preposterous idea, a pretty lady like her should never have to buy drinks. Weiss, incensed, coiled her tongue back to have a go at the blatant sexism, but Yang snaked an arm around her and pulled her close to tuck her hair behind her ear. "What do you think of my friend?"

"Which friend?" Yang nodded towards Kiran sitting with them. "A little ignorant of the concept of personal space, why?"

"Do any of these guys take your fancy?" Yang, a little tipsy herself, was breathing very close to Weiss' ear in the hopes that she would be heard as she whispered.

Weiss shook her head. Yang's hot breath tickling her, and her lips being so close, Weiss knew that it was the coke that kept her expression neutral. She clenched her jaw and crushed her back teeth together, and her tongue kept licking the inside of her mouth. All involuntary of course, although if she lessened the pressure on her teeth, she had the tendency to chew her inner cheeks.

Yang glanced at the drink in Weiss' hand. "I think by the end of the night, you'll probably change your mind. I think my friend likes you." Weiss had been afraid of that. Spending all this time with Yang for the past week, she had worked up enough sexual tension that her diary had seen no new entries for days, her fingers were too busy elsewhere. Her aim tonight was to get drunk enough to 'accidentally' drop a hint, big or small, of her inclination towards Yang, and see where it led. If Yang said no, she supposed she would have her pick of those that did have a sexual, possibly romantic, attraction to her. That was an eventuality that Weiss did not want to consider. What if Yang were to fuck off with one of them, ditching Weiss in the process? Weiss had done her best to loosen Yang up, and now she would have to be kept under tight control in case she wandered off.

Somehow, Weiss shifted closer to Yang, and put her arm around her too. "I'm not interested in anything like that right now."

"Not even a bit of flirting and teasing? Pick one, and I'll keep his friends busy. They're all pretty nice, once you get them alone."

Weiss' gaze automatically settled on Alpha Matt. "I came here to hang out with my friend, actually."

"Oh, who?"

"You, you idiot."

Weiss felt her nose running, sniffed, then grimaced as the clumps of cocaine, previously trapped up her nostril, tumbled down the back of her throat. Swallowing the chemical-laden mucous when her throat was numb felt like using a mouth didn't belong to her. She covered her mouth as her stomach rumbled and twisted in revolt when the drug completed its journey down her gullet. One half of her face was almost completely bereft of feeling and she suppressed the gag of the aftertaste. However, all she could think about was doing it again.

"You ok?" Yang asked, full of concern. Weiss nodded, and ran her fingers over the deadened area below her eye, acting like she thought there was something on her face. She finished the drink in front of her and waited what she thought was a reasonable amount of time to get up, part of her did not want to leave Yang's side, and part of her did not want to have to squeeze past her new admirer. She squeezed past Yang instead. She had to walk the longer way around the table before heading to the toilet stall, where her empty champagne glass still sat on the tank. She wiped away the ring that the glass had left and used the space to cut herself another line.

"Weiss, you in here?"

Weiss uncovered her right nostril, and lowered her straw. "Yeah."

"I'm coming into the stall next to you."

 _Shit shit shit_. "Ok," was all she could say. Weiss was ready and waiting for Yang's flush so it would cover the noise of her sniff. Yang must've been breaking the seal because her wee took ages. Weiss' timing was perfect. She used her finger to wipe up the excess, and not caring that she had just touched a toilet, rubbed the finger around her gums. She put away her wrap and the credit card she used (after licking it clean), and wiped her nose with tissue as she heard Yang exit her stall.

"Geez, Ice Queen, you reading the paper in there or something?" Yang joked, knocking on the door.

Weiss was smart, and had done her stimulant-induced shit already. "God, do you have to be so vulgar?" she said, coming out of her stall, carrying the glass. She quickly took stock of her reflection, making sure there was no evidence of her illegal activities on her face, before smiling fully at Yang. Hopefully, Yang would be oblivious notice her dilated pupils under the bright lights of the bathroom, out in the dark club it didn't matter.

"Hey, you found your glass. Maybe there's still some wine left, if not, I think I drank it all."

"No problem, there's more where that came from." Weiss gave a small shrug. She was used to spending money like it was nothing. She was not keeping a total but it only counted as a good night if she spent at least a grand on booze and drugs. In a place like this where the most expensive drink cost a little over a hundred Lien per bottle, that could take a while.

"Don't worry, the guys will buy us drinks."

Weiss was still a bit angry from not being permitted to buy a round of drinks, they thought they were being flash by spending the cash but, little did they know, it was a drop in the ocean for her. If they wanted something in return for providing the girls with drinks, they had another thing coming. When they got back to their table, a waitress was pouring shots of tequila, and placed a slice of lemon in each with a pair of tongs.

As they sat down, Yang and Weiss licked the web between their fingers and thumbs, and held out their hands for salt. Together, they sucked the salt off their skin and downed a shot after taking the lemon out. Before Yang could choke on the disgusting flavour, she stuck a lemon slice in her mouth, squeezing it for its sour juice. That helped the 'medicine' go down.

"Again." Weiss said, before Yang could settle her stomach. The guys joined in this time, so Yang had a few minutes to chase her shot with a sweet tasting cocktail, while they all got their salt rations. A great big cheer went up from their table as the shot glasses were slammed back on the wooden surface, resulting in quite a few fruity grins.

Normally, Yang measured her fun by how many guys tried to chat her up, but Weiss had a different unit of fun: shots. Yang was at nil, and Weiss had a grand total of five so far. Yang had made an early decision that she would not let Weiss choose the drinks again. Shots right from the start of the night, were a bit hardcore for Yang but Weiss looked like she was having the time of her life. Her cheeks were pulled taut in a constant grin and starting to go rosy from the alcohol. Yang pushed away the next drink that Weiss poured for her.

Weiss pushed it back toward her. "You only live once. Come on, be a rebel."

Yang loved bars, and drinking, but she also respected her liver. She knew how much she relied on it, and wanted it to stay in good working order for a long time so she could keep lifting weights at high intensity forever, hopefully. Weiss smirked and licked her numbed lips, imitating some of Yang's usual bravado, and placed a tequila sunrise in front of Yang to tempt her. Yang couldn't keep up, how come the tiny little girl beside her was drinking her under the table?

Yang's friends shared a knowing look. Yang's attention had been centred on Weiss the entire night, when usually, she would have kept an eye out, scoping the room for hotties. Her extroverted, affable personality would have been perfect for this social situation, she could have easily taken control and directed the evening to her own liking. Instead, she allowed Weiss to call the shots and make the best one-liners, soaking up all the attention. Most of the guys had the sense to realise that Weiss had made jokes at everyone's expense including her own, all of them were targets except Yang, and Weiss savagely destroyed anyone who would dare diss Yang, even slightly. Kiran was the only one who had hope that he was getting some, so the Alpha stood up, and the rest of his crew followed suit. He made his farewells to Weiss but Yang was reluctant to hug him goodbye.

"No, don't go. Stay." It felt safer with the boys there, they could distract Weiss from the drinks.

"Nah, we can see we've walked in on a girls' night. We'll let you two have fun." Alpha Matt twisted Kiran's ear off, to get him to leave the two girls alone. "Come on guys, we can check if there's a pool table free. Shotgun playing first."

"Just stay for one more drink."

"Yang, I need to go to the bathroom, are you coming?" End of discussion, the boys left them after Yang got up to dutifully follow Weiss to the ladies' room.

In the light of the bathroom, Weiss was worried that Yang would realise she was high as a kite. She could see it for herself in her reflection, or did she only see it because she knew?

"Oh, you have a little something on your face."

"Do I?"

"Yeah, an eyelash. Come here."

Weiss' heart rate doubled. Yang's hand was coming towards her face and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She tried staring both down and up as Yang gently brushed the stray eyelash off her skin, but that was awkward as hell. She attempted a smile but that was a bit frightening, and Yang looked at her funny before saying, "Make a wish." Her lone, long eyelash was balanced on the tip of Yang's finger.

 _I wish you would just fuck me._ Weiss was fairly stunned at herself for thinking that first, but in fairness, Yang was close enough to kiss her right now. World peace and the eradication of the Grimm would have to wait. Weiss closed her eyes and puckered up to blow the eyelash to freedom and supposedly, make the wish come true.

"Oh my god, what did you wish for?" Yang hit herself lightly on the forehead. "Sorry, no, don't tell me otherwise your wish won't happen."

Well, shit, Weiss' tongue was tied. It was the rules, even if it was a silly superstition. Weiss weighed the cost of saying nothing against blurting everything out and actually being honest. It was a big risk, but things could end up going in her favour if she voiced her intention. But Yang did not want to hear it, and her potential reaction was unpredictable enough as it is, taking into account the alcohol. Weiss chickened out and retreated into the stall. Yang checked the other two stalls to see if they were occupied, it was all clear. "Are you just gonna pee or are you gonna do another line of coke?"

Weiss opened the door and stepped out, trying not to let her jaw hang open or twitch. "I- How did you know?"

"I know a few things, don't let it surprise you too much."

Weiss grabbed Yang by both wrists, led her inside the tiny cubicle and they somehow managed to get the door closed behind them. "So, if you know, do you want a line then?"

"No thanks, I've never been interested in those drugs."

"Are you sure? I only meant a little one anyway." Weiss took out the wrap she hid in her bra, and waved it under Yang's nose.

Now that it was right in front of her, and being offered so sweetly, Yang's resolve wavered, even though she had already said no. A part of her knew that she should be sober-ish so that when Weiss inevitably got too trashed, she could take care of her. Another part of her wanted to join the party. It would not be the first time she had been enticed into doing coke.

"If we do this, it basically means that we won't be coming home until tomorrow." From Yang's mostly observational experience of cocaine, she knew that no matter how tired she felt, cocaine would pep her up the moment it kicked in, to put it mildly, and the insomnia would keep working for many hours after she had stopped taking it. She would have to sacrifice a chance to go in the cool, new gym tomorrow and devote the day to extreme methods of recovery.

"If you need help to get to sleep, I can give you something for that." It was like Weiss could read her mind. Yang had no idea what Weiss was thinking, but it solved her problem.

"Ok, fine, let's do it. Never pegged you for a cokehead, Ice Queen."

Weiss' nostrils flared but she chose to ignore the annoying pun. "I'm not a cokehead, I haven't been on it in ages."

The three lines Weiss had in under two hours provided evidence to the contrary that Yang thought was pretty concrete, but she ignored her scepticism. "Who's your supplier?" she asked instead.

"Supplier? Wow, you are well-informed. Does it make it better or worse that I got it from an online contact? It's actually from someone I knew in Atlas but they moved to Vale and started their business over here." Weiss opened the wrap carefully, lay it on the surface, and placed a club flyer over the top of the white crystals. She used the flat of her credit card to crush them into a snortable powder.

"Oh look, a Schnee making dust. Instead of making it rain, do you make it snow?"

"Shut it. One more smart-aleck comment out of your mouth and I'll extract your ocular nerve through your nostrils." Weiss muttered, hurting her thumb by pressing so hard.

"What?" Yang thought she was genuinely speaking another language, because she had not understood a word.

Figures, the burn went over Yang's head and there was no one else around to hear that so Weiss sighed. "Oh, nothing."

Weiss coaxed a third of the coke onto the ceramic and used her card to chop two neat lines out of the pile. It was much bigger than the bumps Yang had taken off those tiny spoons, well she would just have to take a bigger sniff. Weiss handed over the straw, shortened with a penknife, and unused for a drink, it had to be dry as can be so the powder did not clump up and get stuck. Yang looked at it for a second, nervous as if she did not know what to do, but then she leaned over and dived right in, like she had been doing it as a daily ritual since the age of five. Weiss smirked, Yang looked so cool doing that, she reminded her of a rebellious rock star. It was racy and dangerous and kinda turned her on.

Two minutes after snorting the line, as she was checking herself out in the mirror, the stimulant took effect and the numbness melted its way down the back of her face. The thing about cocaine is, that it is a stimulant, and the thing about alcohol is that it's a depressant. Cocaine, depending on the purity, is double, triple the stimulant to alcohol's depressing qualities so the coke was kind of sobering Yang up. There was no way she could pass for sober, but the blur and lucidity from the booze was sharpened back to 20/20 vision and her awareness expanded, like a veil of fog being lifted. Weiss had to hold her hand to drag her back into the club and away from the well-lit bathroom mirror.

They boogied and shimmied their way through the dancing crowd towards the bar, still holding hands to stay together. Yang knew she was in the same place she always partied in, but with Weiss, it was a hundred times more fun, and only thirty percent of that was down to cocaine. They couldn't stop laughing. Finally, they were both on the same level, it felt so great that Yang knew it was a level above the peasant people around them. When their new drinks were served, they made a toast to the fact that they were having the best night out of all time.

They danced near the bar, Yang knew the rock DJ's setlist for Friday night off by heart, and more drinks were had, which Yang ordered this time. Yang ordered pairs of her favourite cocktails, and when she ran out of those, Weiss started buying the cocktails with dirty names. They had many a laugh, as they wise-cracked about Sex on the Beach and Screaming Orgasms, and disagreed over the correct names and ingredients of certain drinks; Atlesians were happy to quaff very boringly named, but knock-you-on-your-ass strength concoctions and drank the equivalent of two bottles of wine a day per capita, so Weiss considered herself vastly more qualified on the matter. The Valish were markedly less enthusiastic about alcohol, but they did invent a lot of spirits with high alcohol content and were the largest importers of beer and lager in the world. Yang felt that the names of cocktails that she knew were by far funnier and therefore, more correct. A Suck, Bang, Blow was simply called a Crankshaft in Atlas, but according to Weiss, it had about ten more ingredients than were listed on the cocktail menu.

Their conversation was so entertaining that by the time they were ready for another line, Weiss had a good laugh and waved at the opportunity as it went by. Yang joking about, and leaning in very close so that they could talk, was highly intoxicating on its own. Weiss was determined to rip the bandaid off, so to speak, and took hold of Yang by the waist. "Wanna go get some air?"

"Sure, I know a little place nearby." Yang was already walking them to the fire exit. It was a small miracle that neither of them spilled their drinks while they were attached to each other. Outside, the fresh air and change of scenery, helped to clear the buzzing of the busy bar out of their ears although they could still hear the bass booming through the open door.

"Yang, I want you to know that tonight has been incredible. I can't thank you enough for bringing me along," she said, even though she definitely invited herself.

"Hey, tonight was your idea. Believe it or not, it's been ages since I've had this much fun." Their drinks didn't last very long, even though they were double measures, they were thirsty from the pervasive cotton mouth coke caused. "You're really cool, you know, Ice Queen. I never realised how much I liked you until tonight."

Weiss scanned Yang's face, desperate for clarification of whether Yang meant as a friend or something more. Strings of unrelated alphabet characters streamed through her mind, and her mouth gaped unattractively. "Aw, thanks," was all she came out with, it was all she could manage. This was her moment, and her cold feet were preventing her from making any steps towards telling Yang how she felt, even with her narcotic ego boost.

"I wanted to say earlier that you look so good tonight, your outfit is fabulous. I love it. I bet no one in there even looked at me twice." She supposed she should feel jealous that all her friends were paying attention to Weiss, and Weiss in turn, spent quite a lot of time chatting and getting to know them. It made Yang's evening whenever Weiss ignored everyone else and only paid attention to her.

"You really think I'm that pretty?" Her heels brought her face-to-face with Yang, so Weiss was fighting the urge to lean forward a tiny bit and just kiss her.

"Yeah, I always have done." Yang ran her fingers lightly over Weiss' forearm. "It's hot the way you like lifting too. Working out with you is a blast." It was like Yang had stolen the words out of Weiss' mind. Weiss giggled as their hands joined together naturally. They had mutually agreed that it was best for Weiss to lean back on the wall that was very familiar to Yang. Weiss was grateful because her knees were weak and her feet hurt due to her insane heels. Yang was pretty much flush against her to save her from wobbling on the stilettos. Yang was so close now, she wanted to kiss her so much.

"You're the one who makes it so fun. You're so…" Weiss was silenced when Yang's lips touched her skin, first on her cheek.

"Sexy," Yang finished for her, chuckling lightly. "Horny." Yang kissed her on the jaw and then on the pulse point of her neck. "You've been teasing me all night and now I want you. You're literally irresistible." Weiss whimpered as she let go of the breath she didn't realise she was holding, absorbed fully in the trail of kisses Yang was leaving on her blushing neck. She spared a thought for the wish she had jokingly made, and how she was converted into a firm believer of dubious superstitions based on eyelashes. But Yang had her pinned against the wall, her mouth was making its way down her cleavage, and all she could think of was how she wished for Yang's seductive lips on hers. She tussled against Yang's strong grip, she wanted to show Yang that she wanted her too.

Yang granted her wish. Bright blue eyes burst open for a moment, before Weiss succumbed to the wildfire that the kiss stirred within her. Her soul danced in the flames. Toes curled, breathing hitched, Weiss put everything into that kiss. Without Yang there, holding her up, she would have crumpled to the floor. Weiss found Yang to be a much more sensual kisser than she had imagined, there were so many flirtatious caresses and teasing grazes, it drove her crazy. She craved to release all the desires she had been holding back, they incessantly coursed through her, and despite the flashflood in her underwear, kissing Yang was so not enough.

Yang freed her arms finally, so she clung to Yang and her hands roamed across the back of Yang's body, aware that Yang's ass was well within reach and she deluded herself that she could trick Yang that it was not her goal to touch it. Yang pressed harder into the kiss, the contact highlighting the areas of their faces that were numb, closing any gaps between their bodies, daring Weiss to grab what Yang knew she wanted. Weiss allowed them to break in order to observe the effect she had on Yang. Cheeks flushed, glassy eyes half-closed, shortness of breath, slightly swollen pink lips, Yang never looked so sexy. Weiss' hands were full of Yang's buttcheeks, gluing their hips together.

"Fuck, it feels even better than it looks." Yang's shudder when she ran her fingers on the firm underside made Weiss whimper and wetter than ever.

"That'll be from all the squats and deadlifts." Yang said, smiling, before kissing Weiss' lips again. Kissing her was so moreish, Yang kept gently urging her to open her mouth and let their tongues touch once again.

"You'll have to show me next time."

"You bet I will. You seem to like my ass, so I'll make sure you get the best view. Squats are the best, they're like sex. It only counts if you go deep enough." Yang lifted one knee and parted Weiss' legs. Weiss squirmed, her panties were so wet already, so Yang held her steady with sturdy arms. She stripped off the leather jacket that was getting in her way.

"I love the way your arms go like that." Weiss' fingers traced over the bulge of Yang's biceps and then underneath, to the ridge of Yang's horseshoe triceps, and over her boulder shoulders.

"It's because of all the jerks I do. I do the jerking real good. And I have a nice snatch. You should see it." Yang teased her with her tongue again, and liked how Weiss' crotch was grinding against her when she said 'snatch'. Yang allowed her daring fingers to first stroke and then bury themselves in Yang's hair, but only because her only care in the world was sucking immeasurable pleasure out of kissing her.

Weiss' head tipped back, moaning softly as Yang resumed kissing her neck. Yang loved it. Weiss' gorgeous, sweet perfume was strongest there, and she could not get enough. Her hands were all over Weiss' chest, desperate to get underneath that dress. Yang found a way in, under the skirt, rubbing Weiss' thigh all the way up to the wet heat coming from between her legs. Weiss' teeth scraped over her bottom lip and a throaty moan forced its way out as her legs fell open at Yang's insistent touch. Her mouth found Yang's lips and Weiss moved her other hand to slide up beneath Yang's tank top. Yang caught hold of the small hands that were cupping her boobs and directed them to the flies of her pants. Weiss went to work on Yang's belt buckle, it jangled as it came undone, and Weiss' dextrous left hand popped her button with ease.

It was not exactly the way she had dreamt, thought Weiss, as she slipped her hand down the front of Yang's jeans. Fuck it, it was the way it was, sure she didn't imagine doing it _here_ , but Yang's moist cunt was only a thin piece of sopping wet cotton away from her fingertips. Yang moaned deeply into their kiss, and pushed Weiss flush against the wall, robbing her of air, and forcing her touch further into Yang's pants. All the heat in there was making Weiss sweat, the outline of Yang's lips was clear even to her trembling digits. Yang's curious fingers were aimed towards the apex of Weiss' thighs again, the girl was putty in her hands as she cupped her hot mound. She casually pushed the material aside, exposing Weiss' drenched pussy.

"Oh my, fuck, you're so hot, so wet for me." The pads of Yang's fingers were soaked in the juices coming out of Weiss' slit. Weiss couldn't breathe, she couldn't speak. Her eyes opened and Yang's smirking lips briefly came into focus so she kissed them, greedily accepting Yang's tongue in her mouth and her fingers in her cunt. She clung onto Yang's arm and wrapped her leg around her. Yang's finger sunk in deeper to the third knuckle.

"Oh my god, it is you. Thought I recognised you," said an unwelcome male voice. Yang and Weiss gasped in confusion. In their lust, they had not heard anyone approach. They thought they were alone in their own little world, it was jarring to be so rudely jerked out of it. Weiss dealt with her massive frontal wedgie and closed her legs and swore heavily under her breath.

Yang pulled up her trousers, and tightened her belt. "Do I know you?"

"Yang, who is this guy?"

"Don't you remember me? It was only last week your panties were around your ankles and I had my cock buried in your crack. You never gave me the chance to have a proper go on your pussy. Let me fuck it first then she can have you after." Weiss snarled at him in disgust. "Or I can fuck both of you, whatever." He reached out to touch her butt, and Yang and Weiss moved to stop him.

"Get your hands off her, she never gave you permission to touch her."

He managed to palm it for a second before Yang snagged his wrist and twisted his arm tendons the wrong way. That taught him a lesson, he yanked himself free and faced them side on, hiding his injured arm behind him, but had the other arm tensed aggressively. "I don't need her permission, she let me touch her before. She let me bang her before. Dammit, she was on her knees, drooling on my dick, begging for a fuck." He had a mean look in his eye as he pointed to Yang who had retreated behind Weiss.

"Yang, what's he talking about? Did you actually have sex with that creep?"

"Yeah, she did. Right there, where you're standing."

Weiss looked to Yang, who had her eyes hidden in shadows and her shoulders were rounded and slouched. This confirmed the worst of Weiss' fears. Yang was nowhere near as attractive as she had seemed only a few minutes ago. "I don't think you realise how consent works, that was then and this is now, and now your advances are unwanted and frankly, you are disgustingly rude and you ought to learn some manners. She said no, so do yourself a favour, get out of here while you still have some semblance of dignity left."

He kissed his teeth and took Yang by the hand. "What do you say, sugartits? Come with me, and I'll make all your dreams come true."

A stringy glob of spit flew out of his mouth as his head snapped to the side from the impact of Weiss' palm. "Don't touch her. I won't tell you again."

"Back off, bitch! She owes me for last time."

"She doesn't owe you shit. Face it, you lost this round, there's no need to be bitter about it. Come on, Yang, we're leaving." Weiss turned her back to him, making her way towards the main street. Yang saw her mistake at the very last moment, and everything unfurled in front of her in slow motion, while she stood there, powerless to stop it.

Weiss was sneak attacked with an empty glass bottle. And that was that, Yang was in beast mode.

Her aura engulfed the street, her red eyes were glowing angrily and were surrounded by deep frown lines. The man held the broken bottle by the neck, brandishing the jagged end like a knife. He swiped at her head, a corner of glass opened up a gash just above her eyebrow. She did not flinch. The pain was nothing to her, if anything, she used it to her advantage. Her lips stretched back over her gritted teeth, but she was otherwise unfazed.

He lunged for her, but his sloppy strike was effortlessly evaded. His skull took a hard knock from her iron fist, he spat out a splintered tooth. Yang grabbed his wrist again, and pulled him around like a ragdoll, hitting his gut and face with her elbows and knees. All through the vicious beating, his hand stubbornly held onto his improvised weapon, so she bent his arm back and pulled until she heard a loud pop.

His yells of agony only made her tear at his limb much harder, until something snapped and the integrity of his elbow was compromised, the surrounding bones growing cracks until they fractured. After a roundhouse kick to the liver, Yang high kicked the middle of his useless, dislocated arm. The smashed bottle flew up into the air and Yang released his wrist. Both of his arms had just been fucked up, he couldn't even lift them to defend himself, he could barely stand. Yang caught the bottle behind her back and swung it to shatter completely over his face. She let him struggle comically to remain on his feet, but she pounced before he had even hit the ground. Her right arm struck blow after blow, furiously pummelling his eye socket, while she held him down with her other hand and not insignificant bodyweight.

Weiss' eyelids fluttered open to the chaos of Yang battering this poor, currently defenseless idiot. A flap of his cheek had come loose, and his eyebrow had been split in half, the raw flesh open to the air. There was blood coming from his scalp soaking through his hair and pooling below his head on the sidewalk. Yang had blood spatters all over her. Panic-stricken, Weiss climbed what felt like a small mountain to get to her feet. She immediately threw herself over Yang, grabbing at her attack arm, risking a rock hard elbow to the face in doing so. She was only on the ground for a second, but Weiss managed to get covered in blood, it stained her knees and hands, she smudged it everywhere she touched Yang.

"Yang! You did it, ok, you hurt him, now stop. Come on, we need to leave."

Yang slowed, her eyes focusing first on her surroundings and then what she was doing. She clambered to stand, and sprung away from her victim in shock, as Weiss knelt to look at the mess Yang had made.

"He's breathing." He was actually awake, and murmured with his bruised up and broken mouth. "He needs medical attention."

Yang grabbed Weiss, pulling her away. "It's not our job."

Weiss twisted her arm out of Yang's grip. "Yang, help me, he wants to get up." Yang did not like it, but she grabbed the arm that she didn't break and pulled him upright. He swayed and leant forward, puking blood down his shirt. The girls jumped away in horror, Weiss at least had the sense to begin dialling 969 for an ambulance. Yang hooked her hands in his armpits, forcing him to stand, he coughed and a whole lot more blood came up. He collapsed against the wall, and took in ragged breaths while he shook in agony, but he had his eyes open and seemed coherent.

"Ok, he's ok."

"Ok, let's go." Weiss' scroll connected, and she hung up. It immediately rang back, lighting up her face as her ringtone, a light, upbeat classical melody, filled the air. She answered it quickly, killing the sound, and, disguising her voice as best she could, told them someone was injured and their location and then hung up again. Yang took her hand, and led her to the other end of the alley, giving the guy one last look before they took off into the night.

Neither of them spoke as they wandered through the dark residential streets, until Weiss eventually sat on a bench, holding her head with weary hands, resting her sore feet. Yang sat next to her, lounging backwards, feeling drained so she massaged her temples. Yang flinched as her fingers brushed over the small cut on her brow which was drying finally. She was so dehydrated, a stiff drink was very necessary at this point.

Weiss gazed up at Yang's face and thumbed the little graze gently. "You're hurt." she said, not thinking about herself.

"It's just a scratch."

Yang threaded her fingers through Weiss' hair, even though her fingers were grimy and knuckles were bloody. Weiss draped her arms over Yang's shoulders, and they kissed chastely, Yang had the taste of that guy's blood in her mouth, she didn't want to share it with Weiss. Natural painkillers flooded Weiss' brain, better than any chemical drug for soothing her head, washing the pain clean away. She could feel Yang trace her fingertips over the massive raised, warm patch on Weiss' skull where the blow had struck her. Terrible regret wracked Yang's trembling hands and she cradled Weiss' damaged head gently.

The blue and red lights seeping through their eyelids could have been fireworks, if not for the accompanying sirens blaring all around them. They heard shouting from every direction. They wanted to break apart to have a look, but Weiss anchored herself to Yang with her hand around the back of Yang's head pulling her closer all the time. Threatened by multiple clicks of guns cocking behind their backs, Yang and Weiss finally gave themselves up. They did not put their hands up, or get down to the ground, as ordered. Gloved hands grabbed them on the arms and around their waists, and they were dragged off in opposite directions.


	5. Chapter 4: The Ozpin Gambit

**Chapter 4: The Ozpin Gambit**

Weiss vividly remembered getting arrested as she lay awake in the cold bed she occupied. After they were pulled apart, Yang scrambled as hard as she could, and managed to escape the initial scrum to restrain her. The officers crowded her again, and a few others who had already put Weiss in handcuffs joined in. Weiss played docile and when she had the slightest chance to run, she took it. Her wrists were trapped together in front of her and that obviously slowed her down, but Weiss was a damn good runner once she had kicked off her ridiculous heels. Her explosive, adrenaline-fuelled sprint seemed inhuman, she tore down the street, putting pavement between her and the police at a terrific rate.

Yang looked over at Weiss running away for a second before getting pelted in the face with batons. She got tackled to the ground, but Yang was flexible as fuck, as well as strong, and very slippery, so she bent at odd angles and squirmed out of their tightest submission holds. She didn't get away scot-free, however, her tendons were not going to forgive her for that later. But for now, she struggled to her feet and ran as fast as her powerful legs could take her. The one police officer brave enough to try and stop her, Yang threw him on the ground, and charged full tilt after Weiss. Yang's arms were free, and so she was sprinting at maximum capacity, but Weiss was so far ahead that she had started to tire by the time Weiss checked over her shoulder and slowed down.

They almost crashed right into each other as Yang caught up, so they barrelled around the nearest corner together, stumbling slightly but then legged it down the straight road. After a couple of blocks, Yang had to stop and catch her breath. They decided with a short hand-signal conversation that they should split up, Yang would loop around and try to lose them over some fences or something, and Weiss would do her best not to make her capture easy, and head for the main road back to Beacon.

Together or split up, running was the dumbest thing they could have possibly done.

The police radioed ahead and had blocked the road with cruisers. Weiss tried to vault over the bonnet, but someone was lying in wait and she was caught. She was reunited with Yang, who looked like she had been dragged through a hedge backwards, with her hands cuffed behind her back, in the back seat of a police car. Despite their predicament, they smiled when they saw each other, and Weiss picked the bits out of Yang's hair that she could reach. A female officer opened the door, and with little warning, climbed over Weiss, and placed herself in between the two of them.

"It's probably best if you stay calm, we're taking you to the station to take some details down and hear everybody's side of the story." She buckled up, but Yang and Weiss were not afforded the same luxury.

"Everybody?"

"Yeah, you and the 300 pounds of thug we apprehended in the gutter just before you."

Weiss shook her head. "We didn't know there was anyone else."

"Well, this is going to be interesting then because, unlike you, he didn't run."

The car set off, it was the middle of the night but the city was still alive and breathing so traffic was prevalent at major junctions. This was going to be a long, awkward ride. When the radio crackled into life and announced that the other person of interest had been delivered, they knew they were close to their destination.

At the station, they were uncuffed and marched into a waiting room and the door was shut and locked behind them. Through the frosted glass, they saw him; the shadow that covered the entire window in the door. Yang had been panting quite heavily up until that point, but when she saw his outline, she fell completely quiet. Weiss could not say anything, she was too busy listening to his footsteps that sounded like a massive, hulking Grimm more than a man's. A pair of officers came in, and told them they needed to be searched so they had to empty their pockets into wire trays, and then get patted down. Yang kept looking at Weiss' bra, where she kept the wrap. She felt sick from the danger, fearful of the chance that Weiss would get caught with drugs. Nothing was found, but it did not put Yang's mind at ease. Weiss very reluctantly and quietly explained later that she had tossed the drugs as she ran, the wrap was lost in a gutter somewhere back in Lancaster.

After that, there was no sign of activity outside their locked door for at least forty minutes after being searched and their scrolls and Weiss' white gold watch were taken away, leaving them with no way to tell time. Yang marched all around the edges of the room while they waited, and Weiss felt her head pound every time Yang circled around her. She was patient enough to sit it out, but rolled her eyes whenever Yang walked past her. Her buzz was well and truly dead and she had a killer headache.

"Can you sit still?"

"I'm bored. There's nothing to do."

"We're supposed to be talking about what we're gonna say when they ask us questions."

"Well, we'll just tell them the truth, obviously, that's what we're gonna say. You can't lie to the police."

Weiss glared at her. "Yes, you can. It's easy, like lying about your age."

"I've never lied about my age." Yang shrugged and shook her head.

Weiss raised a sceptical eyebrow. "Wow, you really are a terrible liar, maybe you should tell the truth. But if you did that, then I don't think that would work out very well for you. You need to lie. Everything about this screams danger for us. We ran. Innocent people don't run. We're in trouble, so you need to get our facts to align, otherwise they'll know we're lying."

"Weiss, it's like super wrong and illegal to lie to the authorities."

"I know, but if we don't come up with something that makes us look like the victims, we are not gonna hear the last of this." A domino cascade of consequences triggered in Weiss' mind, watching in despair as her friends fell away from her and her family disowned her, her freedom and rights were stripped, along with her dignity as she was locked away, never to see the outside world or daylight again. "And that's putting it mildly."

"So we should play the sympathy card?"

"Yes, but not too much or it'll seem fake. If you're going to learn to lie, start by bending the truth. All the best lies have a grain of truth to them. He went for you, Yang, he touched you without permission, twice, then he went for me. He was threatening us, he could've raped us. You only did what you had to do. There's only one way that it's gonna be acceptable for you to have done what you did, so you'll need to say you were defending yourself and me."

Yang nodded slowly, and wiped her bloody knuckles on her jeans. "Self-defence. It was self-defence." As she began to think about how she was going to justify her actions, a detective leaned through the opened door and told them to step this way.

They were given forms to fill in, and shit pens to use like the kind that the bank gives away for free. Weiss finished, sliding the completed form over the officer who barely looked at it. His pen made a mark near the top, then he scrunched the paper up into a ball and tossed it in a bin.

"Sorry, I made a mistake. You'll have to fill out another one."

He pushed a fresh one under her nose. Weiss stared at it furious enough that it may have very well burst into flames. He was enjoying being a dick, for the sole purpose of annoying her. Weiss looked over to Yang's form, she was still on the first page. Weiss badly wanted to lean over and help her, but the officer kept his beady eyes on her until she started ticking boxes and writing in uppercase with black ink, remaining within the line boundaries at all times. Her writing got a lot sloppier, by the end she was racing Yang to the finish. No comment was made as they handed the forms over, and then Weiss was taken off into a different room to be interviewed.

"Where were you at 11:50pm yesterday evening?"

"Outside Slippery Dick's." Yang said confidently.

"Can anyone verify your location? Did anyone see you?"

"Well, I wasn't _outside_ outside, I was outside, but it was just around the corner. My friend and I were there, no one else."

He rolled his eyes, and dropped his pen flat on the desk. Her answers were useless, they were barely five questions in and she couldn't keep her story straight. "So, nobody approached you between the times of midnight and half past 12 this morning?" His hand slapped down, startling Yang, but he merely glanced at his watch, like he had somewhere better to be.

"I was getting to that! Yeah, we were out there for a while and then someone came to bother us."

"He was bothering you?"

"Yeah, we were fooling around and he wanted to butt in."

"Is that when the initial assault happened?"

"Yes, he was being rude so he got a slap." Yang couldn't help the smirk that grew on her lips, because damn, Weiss hit hard when she wanted to. His face afterwards had been quite a picture.

"Because he touched you? Inappropriately?" He picked up the pen, clicked it numerous times before he poised the nib on the form.

"No. I mean, er, yes, yeah he did." Yang waited in silence for him to write down such important information. His eyes skimmed through the sparse report, but he did not record this statement. She hoped that he would be able to correctly recall her ambivalent answer later.

"This man, did you know him? Were you previously acquainted?"

What did it matter? Whether he knew her or not, touching her without permission was wrong either way, it would still be wrong if he was married to her. "I met him once before. I don't know his name, though."

"What were you wearing?"

Yang grit her teeth. Her fist locked. She was wearing jeans, that were not even tight, and a normal T-shirt. She wished Weiss were there to give a speech about how wrong it was to ask that, because Yang was not sure she could manage it without swearing. "I was fully clothed."

"So he didn't touch you on your bare skin?"

"No."

That, he did write down. "Then what happened?"

"Erm…" Yang, trying not to hesitate, talked at about 80 words per minute. She carefully left out any mention of illicit substances, but at the end, she was sure she had told them too much. She probably should not have mentioned disarming him and then attacking him until he was bleeding through the eyes, not in those exact words, but the police had already seen and recorded the damage she had done. The investigator stoically studied the photos of Yang's victim and his busted face, and then with all the sarcastic daintiness of a super villain, he swivelled the picture for her viewing. She stressed incessantly that he was ok and had his eyes open afterwards, so he should recover, and they were pretty much heroes for calling an ambulance for him. Maybe she went a bit overboard, and they would think that she was being too defensive and lying. It was too late to change her story now.

"And you didn't hear anything, like a gunshot?"

"No, I didn't."

"Uh huh."

His pen made scratching noises as he wrote down everything that Yang did from this point on, having asked her to start from the beginning. Yang felt nervous recounting the story yet again, what if she missed something, or added details she had omitted the first time, if the tale grew more convoluted, she would definitely wind up in the shit. Yang was sure she left a puddle of sweat on and around her seat when she left.

Weiss grew irritated with their basic and inane questioning, she kept herself from getting bored by going over her story in her head as a backup measure. The officer interviewing her was small and wiry, looked to be more brains than brawn. He studiously and painstakingly wrote down everything she said, asking her to spell her and Yang's names so that there could be no mistakes.

"So, Miss Schnee, what happened after he molested your friend?"

"He tried to grab her arm. So I had to slap him to make him let go, and we tried to leave. That's when he smashed a bottle over my head, it gets a little fuzzy after that." Weiss massaged her temples, and made extra sure to look like she was suffering.

He tilted his head to the side in sympathy. "We'll have someone take a look at you when we're done here. Make sure there's no permanent damage. Do you recall anything of what happened next?"

"I woke up, saw the man on the floor, he was breathing but unconscious, so I called an ambulance."

"Why didn't you wait for the paramedics to arrive? An trauma patient in A&E has double the chance of survival if someone stays with them. He was admitted in critical condition down at Vale General. That's a serious dereliction of your civic duty."

"I was frightened. My friend and I were confused. She had just been molested."

"Your friend being Miss Xiao Long?"

"Yes, I thought that was obvious," Weiss snapped.

"Please, Miss Schnee, let's keep this civil, shall we? There are a lot of specific details that I need to clarify. Before you left the victim, did you see how he acquired his injuries?"

"He was extremely rude, officer. I've never heard language like it in my entire life, all I wanted was for him to stop saying all that nasty stuff about my friend. I yelled at him and made him shut his mouth, so then he attacked me, and my friend saved me, I assume it was as a result of that."

"Paramedics had to fight just to keep him alive, are you sure your friend attacked him only in retaliation and not because they already have a history? It may have been something he did in the past that made her react in such a way. We were hoping you could shed some light on that."

"I don't know, I'd never met him before, I didn't know him from Adam. He wasn't one of the men we were drinking with at the bar."

"Miss Schnee, this man, who you say you had only just met, was shot from close range, at around the time you say you were with him, just past 12:30am. Can you confirm this fact?"

"No, I don't know what time it was when we left and I didn't know he got shot. He was very much not shot when we left."

"Do you own a weapon, Miss Schnee?"

"I do. I have a license for it, and it does not fire bullets." It was lucky that she did not have it on her, or that man might have been straight up murdered the moment he touched Yang's butt and then she would really be in trouble.

Once their interviews were over, Yang and Weiss were never allowed to sit alone and discuss what they had each said to the police. Without very much explanation, they were processed, including fingerprints and mugshots, led past a room of occupied prison cells to the end of the block, and turned to face the only empty cell. As they walked past, Yang searched each one for clues of the other detainee, but there was a distinct lack of clues. Weiss was shoved through the metal door, Yang shrugged their hands off and walked inside herself. The cell was locked behind them with a clang. Weiss flopped on the flimsy cot, and covered her eyes from the harsh lighting that aggravated her headache. She rolled onto her side in the foetal position.

Yang plonked herself down next to Weiss. "How can you be sleepy at a time like this?"

"I'm not sleepy, I'm just trying to rest. My head hurts."

"Did anyone take a look at you and check you're not seriously injured?"

"No," Weiss huffed, and used both hands to rub her scalp around the huge welt on the back of her head.

"Weiss, you could be concussed. You can't go to sleep, you could have brain damage." Yang pulled Weiss upright by the arm.

The room spun. Weiss was on the brink of puking, but Yang's helpful hand kept her stable. "What the fuck, brain damage? He only hit me once." Weiss couldn't keep herself up, and she flopped back against the scratchy airblocks.

"Yeah, I know he only hit you once but you went down. I was too busy to check to see if you were unconscious." Growing up training in martial arts, Yang had seen quite a few head injuries, and knew sadly, that the outcomes varied widely in their prognoses. Things that do not seem serious at first, could have devastating consequences if left unchecked as she learned to her detriment.

"If I was, it can't have been longer than a few seconds. I'm fully aware, I'm talking fine, other than the ache, I'm not experiencing any side effects, and I don't feel like I've lost any memories."

"Still, though, it's really bad for you to be knocked out. They need to take you to a doctor, they must have a doctor here." Yang bounced up and began to thump on the heavy metal door. "Hey, we need medical attention in here!"

Weiss winced at the banging noise Yang's fist was making. "Just leave it, there's no one coming."

Yang made even more noise. "Hey! I said my friend needs help. You forgot to look at my friend's head where she got a glass bottle smashed over it."

Weiss sat up, woozy and unbalanced. "Please shut up, you're making it worse. They don't give a shit, Yang."

"Well, I do," Yang said, dropping on the cot next to Weiss again. "Come here, let me look at you." Weiss leaned over to be examined. Her head was pounding mercilessly, but she did not wince as Yang felt around the big lump on her head. She teased out tiny splinters of broken glass from Weiss' hair. "That's quite a bump you've got there."

"The light is hurting my eyes, can I close them for a minute?"

"Ok, but I'll stay right here, make sure you don't drift off." Weiss rest her tired, heavy head on Yang's shoulder and Yang clasped her hands together with Weiss inside her arms. Weiss cuddled up close, and Yang was able to forget about her surroundings for a minute. Yang closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she found herself leaning back on the unrendered concrete wall, and Weiss asleep, with her head in Yang's lap. Yang felt guilty about waking her, so she stroked her hair gently until Weiss stirred naturally out of her slumber.

"Hey, sleepy head. I thought I told you no dozing off."

"Wha-" Weiss had to take a moment to remember where she was. She groaned into her palms which she was using to block out the light. Her previously meticulously-applied and smudge-free eyeshadow ended up on every corner of her face. The dark marks were pretty stark against her even paler than normal skin. "We both must've... " She rubbed her panda eyes. "This is the most uncomfortable piece of furniture I've ever had the displeasure of using." Yang frowned hard, as if she was deeply offended. Weiss wanted to slap herself for being so rude. "No, not you. I definitely didn't mean you."

"Good. You better not."

"How's your head?"

"Fine, I don't even feel it." Yang touched the sealed graze, and her fingers came away dry.

"Schnee! Have we got a Schnee in the house?"

Yang leapt towards the bars of the cell, feeling guilty like she had committed a crime. "Yeah, in here."

"Congratulations. You're free to go."

"Great."

"Oh no, not you. Just her."

Weiss got up, unstable and wobbly on her thin legs. Thank god she was no longer wearing those skyscraper heels. She placed her hand on Yang's shoulder for balance, and Yang turned to face her like a puppy was just run over in front of her. Yang grabbed hold of Weiss, she did not want to let her go on her own. There was also the fear of being left alone at the mercy of these police officers who blatantly did not like the look of her. The officer tapped the bars with his baton, signalling them to hurry up. Weiss did not want to let the officer touch her so she reluctantly slipped out of Yang's embrace and walked as slow as she could, looking back the entire time until Yang was out of sight.

Weiss' head imploded as she was sat down, without being offered a drink of water, and was doled out three almost identical forms to fill in. She looked at the pen and burst into tears of frustration and desperation. 'Free to go', ha! It had been an hour since they said that, and she was still here and they hadn't given her the stuff they confiscated from her yet. Her brain just would not function, she probably made a shit ton of errors, she could barely focus enough to read. It drained all her mental resources just to write her name, she was a braindead idiot by the time she signed the statements. She was grateful when they returned her possessions, but she found herself woefully unequipped to travel home from the police station. She walked out of the doors barefoot, with no jacket or shawl to keep her warm, and unable to wipe her dirty face clean.

Her scroll only just had enough juice to use her taxi app. Her Summon driver barely contained his laughter when he picked her up from outside the police station. He daren't talk, otherwise he would take the piss out of the fact that she looked like trash, classy trash, but still trash, even though he desperately wanted to know why she was leaving the police station at four in the morning in such a state. Instead, he nodded and grunted in a vaguely human way, and kept from giggling out loud as dropped her off with a dead serious expression on his face. The sun was rising now, and Weiss felt sick enough to vomit, but she had nothing in her stomach. It rumbled loudly as she approached the automated entry gates to Beacon. She had made it. Weiss promptly puked up a clear, yellow-ish liquid and collapsed on the ground.

Weiss' sleep crusted eyes opened reluctantly to dim light and an unfamiliar room. She could see a plain tiled ceiling so she knew she was definitely not in her dorm bunk. Blearily, she took in her surroundings; pale colours, minimalist decorations, a beeping heart monitor, a plastic chair with Ruby sitting in it scribbling in her journal, an oxygen tank in the corner. Weiss was attached to various machines via tubes and wires. She must be in the Beacon infirmary. She had a private room, befitting of an heiress, but it disturbed her that she was in hospital at all. Her head was pounding and it throbbed the more she moved about. She groaned in pain and the effort of trying to lever herself up. Her stomach acid burned angrily within her, forcing her back to the pillows.

Ruby looked up from her notes when she heard Weiss moving, and smiled brightly. "Oh, you're finally awake!" She jumped up and moved to be at Weiss' bedside. "What the hell happened to you, Weiss? Where's Yang?"

Weiss squinted at her. While she was glad that someone was there when she woke up in hospital, Ruby was not who she wanted, she was the wrong sister. "We got arrested." Weiss' voice was weak and raspy, and she desperately needed hydration.

"Oh, good. I thought Yang ditched you and that's why you came back alone."

"It's not good, didn't you hear me, I said Yang was arrested." Weiss used the same tone she always did when she spoke to Ruby. At least, that meant she was feeling a little more like herself. "She's all alone, sitting in a cell."

Ruby let her mouth drop slightly and her cheerfulness waned. She would prefer not to think of her sister sad and dejected. She shook that image out of her head, and put on a sweet smile for Weiss. "Are you hungry? I thought you might be hungry." She offered Weiss a plate of her finest chocolate chip cookies from the barista in the cafeteria.

Weiss considered it for a moment, the sugary treats were tempting but she did not trust her stomach to be agreeable to anything other than water. "I think I'll barf if I go near food."

Ruby offered her the cup on the nightstand that was filled with cool, refreshing liquid that felt like an elixir on her parched throat. She drained the cup dry. There was a pause while Weiss gathered her scattered thoughts together. Everything hurt, her head from being bludgeoned, her upper body from the workout with Yang, her legs from running away from the cops, and her insides were messed up by drugs and drink. Weiss tried to sit up again, and managed to prop herself up on her elbows without feeling too dizzy. Shuffling to get more upright helped to settle her stomach a bit. She was having trouble seeing straight, Ruby kept coming in and out of focus. Her face screwed up with concentration, she was not doing a very good job of trying to balance her vision.

"Whoa, take it easy, Weiss. The nurse who stitched you up said you hit your head pretty hard."

"Never mind my head, what are we going to do about Yang?" Weiss pressed her palms into her eyes, hoping it would help the throbbing subside.

"Well…" Ruby laughed nervously. "We were kinda hoping you could tell us."

"I don't know, I've never been arrested before, and I'm having a hard time thinking straight. They let me go, forced me to leave Yang behind. Ow." Weiss groaned. "My head does feel screwed up."

Ruby folded her arms over her chest. "You're concussed. The doc said to expect some memory loss, headaches, that sort of thing."

Weiss did not like her tone and crossed her arms too, although all her tubes and wires made it awkward. "You make it sound like I deserve this."

"The med team tested you for toxins. They found ten times the legal limit of alcohol in your bloodstream. They asked me if I knew where you got the cocaine, and if I had a sample to check for contaminants." Ruby looked as angry as she could possibly get, however her hand was itching to reach out and touch Weiss.

"Oh, right. That." Weiss turned away, and cursed the fact that she was stuck in bed.

"Can you imagine what I had to tell them? That I had no idea that you had cocaine, or where you got it from, so they asked me if Yang was the one who got it, and, of course, I said no, but really, I had no idea. That's what we all thought, you took some bad stuff, and it made you both crazy."

Weiss clenched her jaw ominously. "I knew what I was doing. I can hold my drink."

At home in Atlas, it was second nature to drink at every possible occasion, and no one questioned it. Weiss was very familiar with alcohol, and it did not seem to affect her the way it did other people, and she was more often than not the last one standing during a drinking session. In truth, Weiss was extremely nervous to be around Yang in a bar setting, and they went to Yang's favourite hangout, so she may have been a bit hasty with the shots to impress her.

"I don't know much about alcohol, but I know you drank a lot. And cocaine? What the hell, where did all this come from?" Ruby was perched on the edge of the hospital bed now, and inclined her head towards Weiss, imploring her to tell the truth. "Please tell me what's going on."

Weiss laughed and then her mouth stretched into a crooked smile and her eyes went far too wide and bright. "Sure, Ruby, I'll tell you everything, take a seat and I'll tell you my deepest, darkest secrets."

"Really? Just like that?"

Her face darkened into a scowl. "NO." Weiss wriggled away from Ruby, but she was tucked in rather tightly and she only ended up making more space for Ruby's butt. Ruby was now too close for comfort. Weiss groaned in annoyance. "It's a long story, and you really don't want to know."

"But I just asked." said Ruby, sincere and innocent.

Weiss' face became hostile and her tone was sharper than Crescent Rose. "You don't know what you're asking."

Ruby did not budge, she was not going to take no for an answer. "Weiss, please, just tell me so I can understand, you gotta let me help you. You're my partner and I need to help you, even if you don't want me to." Ruby's silver eyes begged Weiss to listen to reason.

"I don't need help." Weiss put up her arms in defense. "I don't want to talk about this now." She was leaning as far away from Ruby as possible.

"Listen, you can either do this here with me, or you can do this later in front of everyone else." Ruby's stern tone was slightly threatening, and Weiss came face-to-face with a red brick wall. Ruby was almost as stubborn as Yang when she wanted to be.

Weiss turned to square off with Ruby and stared her right in the eyes. "I don't have a drinking problem. I have a family problem," she said flatly, and then winced. Ruby could sense the old wounds she was opening up, and regretted causing Weiss pain, but it must be done.

"Is it your father?"

"No, my mother actually." Ruby stiffened, her jaw clenched. Weiss had never mentioned her mother before. Weiss did not miss Ruby's stunned expression. "I never really talked about her because I know that you lost your mom when you were young. I didn't want to bring anything up in front of you in case… you know."

Ruby looked marginally queasy, and swallowed down the urge to blurt out everything she knew from reading Weiss' diary. "Weiss, your past and any pain you have are just as important as mine, please don't keep this from me because you're protecting me, I'm not a kid anymore. I know we can get through this, if we do it together."

Weiss exhaled heavily through her nose, and told Ruby the tale of her drunken mother. Weiss had been around wine and liquor for most of her life. Wine was provided with every meal except breakfast and as it was part of the whole culinary experience, Weiss was expected to drink it. When she got a bit older, she and her sister used to sneak bottles into their bedrooms and get shitfaced with their rich friends. This was only made easier by her raging alcoholic mother who would hide bottles around their massive house and all she and Winter would have to do was find them, and her mother never dared say anything about the ones that went missing.

She supposed that it was the way her mother dealt with her father's rage, and they both knew Mr Schnee infamously had a lot of rage. There was no physical abuse, Weiss reassured Ruby, only serious emotional neglect from both of her parents. It was like she did not have a mother at all, although it was nothing compared to Ruby's great loss, and her father, well… Sometimes Weiss wished she didn't have a father. Although her father never turned his rage on her directly, when he was in one of those moods, his passive-aggressive attacks cut her down to size with embarrassing efficiency. Weiss made no secret of the fact that her father had been slyly undermining her ever since she decided to eschew the family business, and pursue a career as a Huntress. He viewed it as frivolous anyway, and always dropped small hints that he knew she would come crawling back. He openly belittled her, sometimes only thinly disguised as compliments, but the harshest criticisms were deeply embedded in the way he apparently showed her love. She would prefer straight up tough love rather than eating his poisoned confectionery.

Worse still, her father never acknowledged his wife's drinking habits, even after Weiss and Winter were old enough to realise there was a problem. He indulged himself in order to relax from a hard day's work as was custom in Atlas, wine for the ladies and beer for the men during the daytime, and the much harder stuff came out at night. Winter was too like her father for it to trouble her, but it really bothered Weiss when her mother was legless and her father ignored her, as if they were total strangers.

Weiss did not dare bring it up with her mother either, Winter had once, and their mother deflected her questioning with such aristocratic elegance that Winter came away from the conversation with her self-confidence in shreds. Rosa Quartz-Schnee lived a life of complete luxury, and she loved it that way. Everything she could want was provided for by the bottomless resources of the Schnee Dust Company, and mostly she wanted to be out of her face on fine wines and vintage spirits.

Winter and Weiss had already been having wine everyday by the time they became teenagers, and one night while both of their parents were away, Winter had the bright idea that she wanted to try whisky neat like their father drank it. The smell alone made Weiss gag, but she and Winter finished their overfilled glasses like they were drinking soda. Their young bodies quickly absorbed the alcohol, and it went straight to their heads. They fell about the house, laughing, acting up and acting crazy, oblivious to the damage they were causing. They soon realised why it held such an appeal for their mother to be like this 24/7. The rest of the bottle didn't last very long between the two of them and they completely wrecked Winter's bedroom. That was the beginning of Weiss' over-enjoyment of being drunk.

It was a bit of naughtiness at first, Weiss wanted to rebel at the rigidity of the structure imposed on her life by her father. Her driven, almost mad, focus at school, and her tight schedule of music, art, and fencing lessons, left her little time of her own so she felt justified every night that she had earned some downtime. For her and her wealthy friends, that meant partying like there was no tomorrow. Every time she was hungover and driving the porcelain bus, she promised herself no more. But evening rolled around, and Weiss would be tired, fed up with her parents, and stressed and therefore, gave zero fucks about how awful she would feel the next morning. Weiss' life revolved around drinking herself into a stupor in the evenings, then cleaning up in the morning so she was presentable for breakfast.

She and her sister never considered themselves teenage alcoholics, but looking back, it was clear that they were. It didn't even slowly creep up on them, they were quick to figure out that swilling vodka in their mouths before breakfast helped them look human and also works as mouthwash. Right before Weiss left for Beacon, she was shotting gin as she brushed her teeth and keeping herself going throughout the day with small bumps of cocaine. It suddenly made sense why she was so frosty and prone to snap at any moment during those first couple of weeks at school, as she was experiencing withdrawal.

Ruby nervously covered Weiss' hand with her own, and she relaxed somewhat when Weiss allowed it. "Wow, Weiss, I'm sorry, I never knew. I never would have guessed."

"No one does. The Schnee family are good at papering over the cracks."

Ruby felt like she was listening to the life story of someone much older than Weiss. Some of the things that had happened to her while under the influence seemed so far-fetched, but Ruby knew better than to disbelieve Weiss or think she was exaggerating when she was talking so seriously. Ruby had only been up all night once in her life, on a New Year's Eve, but Weiss had been on several all-night benders fuelled by drink and various drugs. Ruby's mouth dropped open, flabbergasted, as Weiss listed them off as casually as reading out a shopping list for groceries. Cocaine, ecstasy, speed, ketamine, meth, Weiss had tried them all at least once. Cocaine was Weiss' favourite. What else could it be? Pure cocaine was strong and potent, an expensive status symbol. And there's the blatantly obvious; its signature physical properties, a dust-like substance that was white as fuck.

Ruby balked even harder when she was told that wine lowered Weiss' inhibitions so easily that she lost her virginity when she was 14. Well, it was the wine compounded by peer pressure from her sexually liberated, equally inebriated friends and older sister. This slightly older boy had a bet on with his mates that he would be able to fuck her before the winter holidays were over. Weiss had fallen for him for real, and was devastated and totally humiliated when she found out the true reason he pursued her and all her so-called friends had known this from the start. In revenge, she waited for everyone to pair off and fuck each other, leaving her and her 'boyfriend' to themselves. She pretended that bondage was a secret fetish of hers, and tied him up naked and left him blindfolded.

"I've never told anyone that story before." Weiss admitted. It wasn't even the real version of the tale, she had whipped his ass raw with a belt, blindfolded him and shoved a ball-gag in his mouth, then took a bunch of pictures and sent them to all his friends. She had heard a couple years later that his family had disowned him because, despite his promising future as a professional athlete, he faced a rape accusation and managed to wrangle a lenient sentence from the judge even though he quite clearly raped his fellow student with her eyes rolling back and foam coming out of her mouth. His whole life was bombarded with protesters and invasive media journalists due to the perceived unfairness of his sentence compared to the lifelong suffering of his victim. How much of his mindset was affected by what Weiss did to him, she did not know, but prisoners have their own system of justice and rapists were not treated well. She drowned her guilt along with all her other feelings, consequently she had forgotten about him until just now.

It was like Weiss had pulled a rug out from under Ruby's feet as she realised that she hardly knew her partner at all. Weiss appeased her by saying that she had managed to keep everything secret from her parents for a number of years so far, it was no wonder that her team would be kept in the dark too, but Ruby was still a little peeved that Weiss had kept this from her. Weiss rolled her eyes and explained that she wanted to put all those aspects of her life behind her, leave them back in Atlas where they belonged, and start afresh here at Beacon. Ruby accepted that was the best course of action.

Last night at the bar was a relapse into old habits. It had been ages since Weiss contacted people from her previous life, they barely acknowledged her absence, and happily sold her drugs via dead drop. Since being at Beacon and having real friends (Ruby swelled with pride when Weiss called her a real friend), and also not having her father constantly poking holes in her confidence were big factors in helping her stay clean. At the start of the year, Weiss stressed that her friends were that vital barrier between keeping a clear head and buying wine by the case and using any weak excuse to drink a bottle every night before bed.

Drinking had been pushed to the back of her mind until Yang's devastating singles match, and instead of talking through her guilt with the people who cared about her, Yang ran away to hide in grotty bars. The team kind of splintered after that, everyone felt too nervous to speak to one another on a deep, emotional level and kept walking on eggshells all the time. During this time, Yang got more and more distant, forcing the others to band together. It seemed silly explaining this to Ruby, who had actually been there and literally lived with Yang, but she seemed to prefer not to see the trouble in which her team found themselves. They had thought that Blake's timely birthday would be the golden lasso to bring Yang back on their side, but it only served to show how the cracks had widened, the divide between them growing everyday. So, understandably, as a noble self-sacrifice, Weiss took one for the team and went to find out what was so interesting that Yang basically abandoned her teammates.

Ruby was full of more questions, but she was already feeling guilty about making Weiss remember her past, which she had found out was way worse than she had imagined. Ruby could think of nothing more to say so she grabbed Weiss in a surprise hug. Weiss froze, she had repressed her feelings about the whole matter years ago and was having trouble switching them back on again. Her brain registered that she was receiving affection and that Ruby meant well, but she did not reciprocate. They were both relieved when Ruby awkwardly let her go. Weiss cleared her throat, and wished she had more water or a change of subject.

"So, what happened between you and Yang?"

Oh shit, maybe not that subject. Her mind flashed through their night, starting from Yang's first line, to her fingers stroking Yang through her panties, then the epic cop chase through the streets of Vale, and ending up being processed at a police station and thrown into a cell. She couldn't imagine that her mugshot would do her any favours, and since she had been released early, she figured that the family lawyers were therefore aware and had already informed her father. "We had a good night. Until it all went wrong."

"How exactly did you guys get arrested? Everyone's assuming that you got in a bar brawl."

"It was not exactly like that. I'm guessing that I won't get away with saying there wasn't an altercation." Weiss rubbed her sore head.

"If that's what you wanna call it."

"Look, I haven't fully processed it yet. I still feel a bit violated by it all. I can't even imagine how Yang is feeling. I'll probably need a few days to get my head round everything." Weiss hoped that by then, Ruby will have forgotten and be onto the next thing.

"Are you gonna write about it in your diary?" Weiss snapped wide eyes in Ruby's direction, too large of a reaction to play down and feign ignorance. Ruby put her hand over her mouth, knowing full well that she had fucked up. "Oh shit."

"How the fuck do you know about that?"

"From Blake, she showed me. She knew about it first." Speak of the devil, the Faunus slithered around the doorframe, she had been hiding against the wall, eavesdropping on everything.

"What the fuck is this, Blake? You read my diary."

"I gave you that diary."

"The writing in it was mine!"

"I know, but I had a good reason to want to know what was going on in your mind, I was worried about you. You came back from vacation, almost like you'd turned into the ice cold bitch we met in first year, and you flat out refused to tell us what was going on."

"Yeah, and that's not a Team RWBY-approved attitude to have, Weiss." Ruby pointed her best leader frown at Weiss, who tutted and sarcastically mimed the action of taking a sip. Blake and Ruby shared a look of realisation; Weiss had started drinking again.

"Yang's back, by the way. She got back about an hour ago, I came to tell Ruby but you guys were busy talking."

"Yang's here? Where?"

"She's in our dorm, Goodwitch told her not to move from there. Once we go back, we're not allowed to leave either. I think Professor Ozpin wants to talk to us."

"Well, I guess I should've seen that coming."

"Was it as obvious as your first 'date' with Yang going horribly wrong?" Blake deadpanned.

"Blake, don't go there. If everyone wants to make it through today with their lives intact, we will not be discussing that."

"My my, someone's defensive. Did something happen between you two?" Blake sensed the increase in Weiss' breathing rate, and the slight sheen of sweat that appeared on her upper lip as Blake put her in the hot seat. "Yes, something obviously did happen."

Ruby gasped. "What happened, Blake?"

"We'll have to wait for her to share the story. We know you've been crushing on Yang since last year." Blake and Ruby were crowding Weiss into a corner.

"We, uh, we- Turns out we get on really well." Weiss licked her lips. "I met some guys that Yang hangs out with. They're pretty much exactly as you'd expect. We drank some drinks and did some lines, you know, danced a bit, had a good time. Standard Friday night."

"You got Yang to do coke?"

"Yeah, it was surprisingly easy."

"Great." Blake rolled her eyes, and scrunched her nose in displeasure.

"So, you guys are like drinking buddies as well now?"

Study buddies, gym buddies, drinking buddies, they were pretty much all buddied up. Weiss tensed at their pincer attack of wordless jealousy. They weren't supposed to ignore the pairings that they had been assigned almost arbitrarily by their initiation, that wasn't how this was meant to work. Yang was supposed to be Blake's partner and best friend, they had gotten really close in first year. Weiss was supposed to be Ruby's partner, Ruby didn't mind them spending time together if she or Blake were too busy, but their partnership and friendship could not progress if Weiss was spending all her time with Yang instead.

"I give you one week before you're at each other's throats."

"That's harsh. Why you gotta be so negative, Blake?"

"It's not negative, it's realistic. I'm not saying this because I'm an expert on relationships, I'm saying this because I'm an expert on you and Yang. I hate to say it, but you're not compatible in the slightest."

"You don't know the first thing about us."

"So it's 'us' already, is it? I know you, and I know her. Together, you spell trouble. I even have proof, your first night out together, and you got yourselves arrested."

"There were circumstances beyond my control! Of course we didn't go out to try and cause trouble."

"She is the last person I would expect you to get along with, don't you always fight? You shouldn't even like her, you have nothing in common. When have you ever chosen to hang with Yang before? Never."

"Yeah, it's strange seeing the two of you together, after you forced her to study with you. I couldn't believe when I read that you _like_ her. Now you're kinda getting caught up in things, are you sure you can handle this?"

"I didn't force- It's not my fault, it's _her_."

"Weren't you into Sun's friend, that Neptune guy? You guys seemed like a cute couple the times that we saw you together. Didn't you guys kiss and make up when you had that dance?" Although, strictly speaking, Blake could actually only recall three times that she saw Weiss and Neptune together. Ruby totally cockblocked them the third time anyway, though possibly only as a result of naivety.

"I haven't actually spoken to him for months, I was into him but he was fairly disappointing. Remember how there was that pool party, and he wouldn't get in the water? Like, he wouldn't even go near it, I mean why bother going to a pool party? I only went because he was going, I got sunburn because of that fool. Aside from being the most ironically named person I've ever met, he's basically all style, no substance. Found out that his 'six-pack' was totally drawn on with foundation and fake tan and he didn't want to smudge the makeup."

Ruby sniggered behind her hand before chiming in with Blake to say, "we know!"

Weiss tutted. "Listen up, dickmouths. If you breathe even one syllable of that diary to Yang, I will personally see to it that you wake up in a mental ward with total amnesia under someone else's name."

"Fucking hell, Weiss."

"Yeah, Weiss, that's harsh."

"That's the seriousness of this situation. Not one syllable, you hear me?"

"Fine. But until we leave this room, we can ask you anything we want about what we read."

"Well, you've both just heard most of my life story, and you guys were there for the rest of it, so, I don't know what you have left to ask me."

"What did you and Yang do last night?"

Weiss laughed, smug at finding such a simple loophole. "That's not in my diary."

"I know, so here." Blake dropped the diary she produced from god knows where, onto Weiss' lap. "Why don't you get started?" Blake gave her a ball-point. "I'm not gonna stop badgering you until you spill, so hurry up. We're waiting." Blake received a nod of approval from Ruby.

Weiss pinched and then rubbed her bottom lip. "Yang kissed me."

"Really? Are you sure it wasn't the other way around?"

"Yeah, I'm definitely sure." Weiss pointed the pen at Ruby like a sword. Ruby stifled a laugh.

"Did anything else happen?" Weiss gulped, and Blake smiled as she sensed more information to uncover. "Did you sleep together?"

"No," Weiss said as plainly as she could.

"Are you very, very sure that you didn't have sex?"

"Why all these questions, seriously, what's it to you? Feels like everyone is interrogating me at the moment. Even if you are my friend and she is your sister, I don't have to tell you everything that goes on between Yang and me."

"Weiss, just answer the damn question!" Ruby squealed.

"We didn't have sex, ok. We fooled around for a bit." Until they had been so rudely interrupted. They would have gone through with it too, if it weren't for that meddling idiot.

"With or without pants?"

"We both had panties on, all right. Any more stupid questions?"

Blake turned to Ruby. "Does that count?"

"Hell no, they were clothed."

"Ohmyg- You little shitstains! You had a bet going on me and Yang?" Weiss' arms, still attached to machines, flailed madly in the direction of Ruby and Blake and they had to fight to restrain her, less for the protection of themselves from her weak slaps, and more for the expensive medical equipment.

"Geez, we were only joking."

"I can't believe you, making fun of me. It's not like either of you are in any kind of position to criticise me. Ruby, you've had total one relationship, and it was with the Prince of Dorks, Jaune Ark. Blake, your choices have been _questionable_ in the past too. You can't expect my love life to be perfect. She's my friend and teammate, I know it's not gonna be like some fairytale." It definitely wasn't love at first sight, that's for sure.

"Well, I still don't think it's a good idea, so I hope you live happily ever after, Ice Queen."

"What do you have against it, by the way? It seems quite arbitrary that you don't want us to be together."

"I don't see how you would work as a couple, all I can see is you two having an explosive argument that breaks down into anger sex. Doesn't mean I can see you getting into a relationship, which we both know, is what you want."

"What makes you the relationship expert, huh? You have a lot to answer for about your past, mainly Adam. And you tried to have a go at Yang for apparently acting all shady and evil like him, which, by the way, made her feel like a total monster."

Blake's smile faltered and faded until her face greyed. "Did she really tell you that?"

It was too late, Weiss was already in rant-mode. "No, but I could see it in her sad, little eyes! She was already feeling uncertain that she did what she did by accident, we all know she has a hair-trigger temper, and you went and compared her to a scheming, conniving, criminal piece of shit who actually wanted to hurt people." Well, fuck. Somebody had to say it, but there was probably a nicer way of wording it without sounding so uncaring about the trauma that Adam clearly forced upon Blake. "As if the Yang we know would break the rules like that on purpose. Not believing her the first time was one of the shittiest things you've ever done."

Ruby's mouth dropped open as she turned to Blake who had pointed her face to the ground. Big, wet tears, like the ones she made Yang cry, were threatening to run down her cheeks. A couple made a break for it before Blake angrily wiped them away. "Shit, I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one you should be apologising to, but I feel obliged to accept on her behalf."

"Why did you have to go and say that?" Blake had covered her eyes with her hands. She had always felt underlying guilt. She made Yang full-on cry by doubting her truthfulness about being provoked, but to have it laid bare like that, in such blunt words, hurt like a bitch.

"So you could see what you've done."

"What _I've_ done?"

"Yang only started drinking after you made her feel like shit."

"You're blaming me? Don't kid yourself, Ice Queen, you love the fact that she drinks. You were jealous she went drinking without you, you wrote it down enough times!" Weiss' moral high ground was demolished and crumbled before her very eyes. "Sorry, I was wrong, you're not incompatible. You're the perfect couple, you both use alcohol to deal with your problems, and you both tried to hide it. Are Ruby and I going to have to support you through a 12-step programme? Because I did not sign up for that."

"Guys, please stop fighting. Someone's going to get hurt."

"Someone's already hurt. A certain someone is so hurt that they're lashing out at the only people who care about her enough to tell her the truth, the people who have the balls to tell her like it really is. Yang is too good of a friend to say something to you, she wouldn't want to hurt your feelings the way you hurt hers."

"I don't think she's Adam, ok! She's nothing like him, I was wrong."

"Thank you, why don't you try telling her that."

Ruby ran around the bed, to put herself in between Weiss and Blake. "Guys, guys, enough now, ok? Blake admitted she was wrong, she knows what she did, there's no need to rub it in her face, Weiss. Yang is gonna get her apology, and then they're gonna hug and make up like BFFs, ok? Now I need a promise from each of you that this won't cause any aggro again."

"I certainly won't bring it up again."

Weiss turned her nose to the sky. "Tch. Fine."

"Hugs?" Ruby asked hopefully. Weiss and Blake eyed her with identical looks that were full of warning not to push her luck too far. "Ok, fine. No hugs. I would've liked the hugs."

Blake turned to leave, she was done with this conversation. She had said what she came to tell them, and it was a mistake to stay for longer than that. Her cat ears flicked backwards, flat against her hair, pulling on her bow. She refused to let Weiss get away with the argument she had just won. "What happened that got you and Yang arrested? Seriously."

"We were in a fight. She saved me from this sleazy greaseball. He was disgusting, I mean, it was really disgusting what he said to Yang so I-" Weiss gulped. "Intervened."

"Did it go wrong?"

Weiss sighed and held her aching head. "Very." Blake and Ruby passed a knowing look to each other; Yang would not take kindly to Weiss being attacked in front of her. One punch to the sweet spot on the side of the skull, and lives would be ruined. Oops, it seemed that had happened already. Weiss sighed yet again. "I tried to walk away, I said my piece so I was leaving, I didn't expect him to get a bottle and smash it over my head. I'm not sure but I think Yang laid into him for that."

"What did you say to him to make him do that to you?"

"He wasn't listening when I made it pretty clear that Yang wasn't interested in him, so I had to stop him by slapping him."

"Why didn't she tell him herself?"

"I dunno. She didn't act like she knew him, and he was trying to touch her like she did know him, so I don't know."

"What the hell is going on exactly?"

"I think we'll have to ask Yang. Anyway, I have some things to do before we get put under house arrest, so I'll see ya." Blake said, with an ambiguous quirk of the eyebrow. Blake made her exit, and left behind an uncomfortable silence.

"So..." Ruby couldn't stand not talking.

"So?"

"Are you gonna tell me the truth about what's going on between you and my sister? You kissed and then what?"

"Back to that again, I really don't see how it's any of your business."

"I know you love her."

"I do not." Weiss did not have the patience for Ruby's eyeroll and dismissive snort of laughter. "Ok, fine. So what if I do?"

"Nothing, Weiss, it's ok. I'm cool with it, I'm actually happy for you. I want you guys to work, but just stay out of trouble from now on. I think she'll be good for you, she can help you loosen up a bit." The words came out of Ruby's mouth before her hand had a chance to trap them inside. She waited in trepidation of Weiss' response.

Weiss' nostrils flared angrily, but she conceded that Ruby was not wrong. She arched a single eyebrow. "I was thinking that it was Yang who could do with some structure, get her on the straight and narrow."

"Seriously, you want to lecture someone about being on the straight and narrow?"

"Quiet, you! I've been in far worse states than this." Weiss sounded proud of herself, but Ruby cast her a doubtful look. "In fact, I think I might be feeling a whole lot better. I think I'll just go back home now."

Ruby stuck a pink tongue out at Weiss and put on a shit-eating grin. "If you want to see Yang, just say so." She winked and sassily crossed her arms.

"I want to go home."

"And see Yang and give her smooches and huggles and mmmmmm." Ruby giggled, hugged herself and made kissy noises to torment Weiss. It worked beautifully. and Weiss' jaw stiffened and her eyes narrowed to tiny slits. Ruby continued to taunt her, prancing about using a sing-song voice, "Yang and Weissy sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-"

Weiss slammed her hands on the bed either side of her. "Just because you're my friend does not mean that I won't throttle you if you don't cut that out!" she said through gritted teeth, with a boiling red face.

"You're so easy to wind up." Ruby sniggered. "I'll need to ok it with the doc before you can go." Ruby trotted off to find the doctor. Weiss checked her Scrollmates notifications while she waited. ΩBeaconBabes was still acquiring followers, although they came in a trickle rather than a flood, like at first. She started reading comments, but she could not deal with the heinous lack of proper use of language, and influx of penis pictures. If she saw a message with an attachment she deleted it without looking, but she did read some nice messages, and that made it all worth it.

Ruby returned and was followed in by a nurse who said that the doctor had already cleared Weiss to go once she woke up. The nurse gave her a quick check up anyway, taking her temperature and pulse, which were a bit low and high respectively, before unplugging all of Weiss' monitoring equipment and tearing off her ECG sensors. The nurse was reassuring, she seemed like she had been doing the job for years, and did not make a fuss of Weiss' apparent distress when she pulled the needles out. She hoped that the kind nurse would never run out of patience. When it came to helping Weiss out of bed, she was the perfect gentleman and averted her eyes. Weiss had been undressed while unconscious, and had on a simple hospital gown.

Weiss was dazed and unable walk very far on her own, her lack of sustenance making her lightheaded and giving her a headache at the same time. She could definitely go for a Yang-sized breakfast right about now, but she wanted to see her favourite drinking buddy, even if she was asleep. They shuffled along, Weiss dictating the slow pace.

"Actually, Ruby, I am kinda hungry. When you've dropped me off, would you mind getting me something for breakfast?"

"It's almost dinner time."

Weiss' eyes widened, exactly how long had she been unconscious? There wasn't even a word for breakfast and dinner mixed together. "Just get something." Weiss almost forgot to consider that Ruby and food was a sugar rush and another headache waiting to happen. "Something healthy, please," she added, hoping that Ruby might pick something that she would like.

"Sure, Weiss. I'll leave you alone with Yang, mwah mwah mwah." Ruby snickered childishly, and skipped away after delivering Weiss to the door of their dorm room.

Weiss placed her hand on the door handle. She froze, she had so many ideas, so many hopes, so many imaginary scenarios of how this was going to play out, she was doubtful she was ready for it all to be real. Weiss clenched her fist around the handle, shaking with the effort. For all her fantasies, she did not know what to expect from the unpredictable brawler, what would she do if Yang didn't follow her mental script? She and Yang needed to talk, to discuss what they were, and what was this thing they had between them, and once and for all, how they were going to carry on from this point forward. But now, at crunch time, Weiss contemplated backing down and slinking off into bed. Weiss sighed, she would have to get it over and done with sooner or later. She turned the knob.

The door creaked as Weiss opened the door. Yang rolled over in bed. The moment she saw Weiss, her eyes popped open wide, and she began to get out of bed.

"No, don't get up. You must be exhausted."

"You get up here then."

"How did you get back? Were you all right by yourself?"

"I got a cab back. Are you coming up, or what?"

"Yang, are you ok to talk? I'd really like to, but only if you're ready."

"Weiss, will you get up here already? How many times do I have to invite you into my bed? Geez." Yang grabbed Weiss by the hands and assisted her to climb onto the bunk. Weiss turned rosy as she landed on top of Yang's bare thighs. The filth that ran through her mind was distinctly unrepeatable in polite company as she thought about how short her hospital gown actually was, it covered even less than her nightdress. Yang was not shy about where she put her hands, her fingers made Weiss shiver.

"I thought you'd be asleep. Didn't you sleep after I left?" Weiss said, taking hold of Yang's warm hands, and linking their fingers.

Yang shook her head. "There was no way I was falling asleep in there alone."

"What did you do?"

"Mainly listened to the grown man in the cell next door, crying his eyes out, shouting and screaming, trying any excuse or reason why he should be let go. He cried for so long, he puked. No one came to see to him, so I think he was left lying in it for a few hours. It was pretty depressing."

"I'm sorry I left you alone."

"How come they let you out early?"

Weiss made a small cough to clear her throat. "I think my family's legal team get alerted if my name turns up in a police database," she said, casually looking at her nails. "I haven't heard from father, but I know he's been informed. I guess he must be waiting to berate me about it when the invoice from the lawyers comes through." From the odd look of sympathy that crossed Yang's face, Weiss decided she did not want to talk about that subject anymore, so she cleared her throat a second time, louder than before. "Your face, you didn't rest," she said sternly, swiping her thumb over the length of the graze. "You'll get a scar."

"Maybe, but it won't be as cool as yours."

"My scar isn't cool, it's hideous."

"Pfft. No, it's not. It's proof that you're a certified badass. It definitely makes people think twice before judging you."

"People judge me as a Schnee, first and foremost. Then if they bother looking past that, they take me at face value, usually they assume I'm a bitch. They look at the scar and that confirms it for them. All it does is remind me that I'm still not perfect."

Yang eyed her thoughtfully for a moment. "Forget it, it doesn't matter. You're pretty hot, in any case," she said, hoping it was what Weiss wanted to hear.

Weiss tutted. "It ruins my whole face. People tend to like symmetry, and one of my eyes is not like the other. I think it makes me ugly."

"Beauty doesn't have to be symmetrical, most things are beautiful despite their imperfections."

"Fine, I _feel_ ugly then."

"Really? You had four hot guys wrapped around your little finger last night and you're telling me you felt ugly?"

"I don't care what they think of me, it only matters what I think."

"Well, there's no easy way of putting this, Ice Queen, but you're totally wrong. Don't worry, there's always a first time for everything." She added a wink so that Weiss knew she was being friendly.

Weiss fought a smile. "By the end of the night, we both looked like we'd seen better days. Let me take you out to dinner, I think I owe you. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have left your jacket behind. I'll obviously replace that. While we get that, I can find another pair of shoes because I lost those in the chase."

"Wow, it hasn't even been one day and you want to take me out on a second date," Yang said, with a bigger smirk and a wink.

Weiss blushed, and hid her nervously fidgeting hand in her long hair. "You don't have to come with, but I'm buying you a jacket in any case. So you might as well come, or you might not like the one I get for you."

She was going to say yes anyway, but Yang stopped to stare at her, perplexed. She knew Weiss had amazing taste in fashion. Anything she chose would look good, just like Weiss looked so good last night, beautiful even. Yang's body ceased motion as her eyes roved over Weiss, taking in her appearance. Faint smudges of eyeliner and mascara still lingered around her eyes, and her hair was partly done up, partly looked like a bird's nest. The tightly-knit heiress was coming unravelled. Lacking her usual polish, Yang could almost see the softer, inner layers that she would cover up and hide from everyone else. Yang saw a shy, gorgeous creature, with no idea of her real unmasked beauty.

Weiss' skin goosepimpled from a breeze, and she turned her head in time to see the door close.

"Someone there?"

"I thought I heard-" Weiss noticed the glasses of milk and plate of baked goods. "Ruby. I told her I was hungry."

Weiss reluctantly let Yang climb down and grab the snacks. "Ruby's such a good kid. She's knows the fruit ones are my favourite." Yang passed the plate up before she got back on the bed.

"We're gonna eat these here, in bed?"

"Sure, why not?"

"The bed isn't a place for eating, you'll get crumbs everywhere."

"Weiss, those are rules for your bed. This is my bed, and all sorts of eating goes on in my bed."

Yang fed Weiss the first bite of pain au chocolat. She laughed and crumbs flew all over the place, and they both creased, giggling uncontrollably until their abs ached. They chatted while they ate, about the gym, school, and other normal things. There was no pretending either; after all the drama, it was good for them to just chill. When they were done stuffing their faces with sweet things, Yang flopped back on her pillows, tugging on Weiss' arm. Weiss not-quite-accidentally landed face first on Yang's tits. She pulled her gown back down over her ass which got exposed when she moved, but she almost flashed Yang as the neckline plunged as a result.

"Why so shy? You realise I've touched your vagina, right?"

"Yang!"

"Don't act like you didn't like it, because I know you did." Yang purred, putting her hands under the short skirt, grabbing herself a piece of ass.

"They're gonna walk in here any minute."

"Pfft. Killjoy." Yang lay back, and crossed her arms over her chest. Weiss didn't like that so she pulled them apart and relaxed on top of Yang, her almost bare breasts smushed against Yang's.

"It's not you, I just don't feel sexy right now," she whispered.

"You're still sexy to me, but ok." Yang wrapped an arm around Weiss, stroking her softly. Weiss luxuriated in the tender attention, she floated off into dreamland way before she drifted off to sleep. Yang was practically unconscious the minute she closed her eyes, although she stubbornly held onto Weiss even when she rolled off her. Weiss had a gratified smile on her face, her last thoughts before sleeping were of Yang not letting her go.

Weiss' scroll blared an alarm siren and the screen locked itself, flashing red. The same noise was blasting out from under Yang's pillow and she opened her scroll to see the same red text as Weiss: _This is an order from Beacon Command. Team RWBY will report to the headmaster's office._ The bright words faded from their screens, but after a second they repeated themselves. Yang and Weiss blinked at the message with sleep in their eyes for about a minute before they moved again. Post-nap, they could only assume they had ended up on a different planet because it felt like they woke up in a completely different place to when they fell asleep or time travelled to another life.

Yang and Weiss got themselves suitable for public consumption while half-asleep. Their dream-like haze faded the further and further they got away from their room. They were too terrified of their own thoughts to talk while the elevator made its way up to the top floor. They were the first ones to arrive, but the door to Ozpin's office was shut and locked. Blake arrived next, followed by Ruby, who looked rather out of breath. All they were told was that they had to wait.

"This is all your fault."

"My fault?"

"No, both of you. All this crazy shit came from you two. You got beaten up, then you beat up some guy, then you got arrested."

"Yeah, all because you were drunk and high."

"Ruby, you shouldn't talk about things you know nothing about. This is a grown up conversation, butt out."

"Ugh, that is so unfair!"

Ozpin cleared his throat, leaning through the heavy door that opened without a creak. "Ladies, thank you for arriving so promptly. I'd like to start by speaking to Miss Xiao Long. Alone." Yang tried to suppress her terror, but her face gave her away. Weiss placed a hand on her arm, to settle Yang's nerves. She could sense Yang's fear through her skin, her sweat was freezing cold, and the soft, fine hairs on her arms were standing on end. Ozpin's door was a black hole into the unknown that Yang steeled herself to walk through.

Ozpin sat in his chair without saying a word and his eyes closed, coffee mug sitting serene and undisturbed for now. Flanking his steampunk office chair were two cops, out of uniform but badges visible hanging from a chain around their neck, inspecting her with eyes hidden behind reflective shades. Both held polystyrene cups of steaming coffee. Yang immediately wanted to run, but Ozpin's seriousness and the presence of the police officers rooted her to the spot.

"Gentlemen, I would like you to meet Miss Xiao Long. She's one of my favourite students." Yang was too frightened to show her absolute shock at Ozpin's statement. "I do want to make this brief, so let's get down to business. First of all, thank you for listening to my advice to put your schoolwork as a higher priority in your life, and I'm glad Miss Schnee has been assisting you. I hope the remodelling of Beacon's gym is to your liking."

"Yes, very much, sir."

"Good. Which brings me to last night. This is an interesting direction you have chosen to take, Miss Xiao Long. Is remaining here at Beacon what you really want?"

Yang thought of Weiss and how she had learned so much from her already. "Yes, sir, absolutely."

"One could argue that your actions speak otherwise."

"I made a few mistakes, I know, but I'm doing the Huntress thing for real, sir." Yang sounded so convinced.

He glanced briefly to the cops on either side of his chair. "Ah, yes, the police contacted me about your mistakes. They were quite concerned, given your violent history."

"My what?"

"The media was not kind about your disqualification during the singles round of the Vytal Festival. A lot of people felt you should've been arrested for fighting after time was called on the match. I do not want reporters attempting to enter Beacon to find you, so I'm imploring you to keep this between you and your friends. Security will have to be tightened as a precaution."

"I'm sorry you had to do that, sir."

"All will be well, so long as you refrain from making further mistakes."

"I'll try not to."

"Thank you. I have utmost faith in you. Now for the real reason I asked you here. Do you recognise the man in any of these photos?" His computer displayed grainy photographs and CCTV images of a man wearing a dark trench coat from various angles. With small gestures, Ozpin scrolled through the slideshow. The man in the pictures seemed so much like Ash, his posture and expression, but he had the body of a teenager. A manky, skinny teenager. Wow, steroids were super effective for him.

Yang's first thoughts were confirmed by the single recent picture of him sans the coat, recognising Ash by his legs. "Yeah, I think so. His name is Ash. We uhhh," she struggled to find a phrase that she was comfortable saying in front of Ozpin, "know each other."

Ozpin's face remained frozen apart from his piercing, all-knowing eyes. "I see. Is there anything more you could tell us about Mr... Do you know his surname?"

She shook her head. Now that she came to think about it, she hardly knew anything about him. She had his PIN and the name he had given her. She could not recall anyone else using his name in front of her. "I know he has a black sedan, a Wolfwagon." She should know, she had sex enough times in it or on it. "He has a scar on his top lip from a fist fight. It wasn't me, by the way." She felt the need to clarify. "He likes this bar downtown, Slippery Dick's, we go there all the time."

"Did you happen to mention that you were a student?" Ozpin was emotionless again, and his tone was not accusatory, but Yang could not help but feel riddled with guilt.

He couldn't read her mind, could he? Otherwise he would know that Yang had been spread over Ash's car bonnet, with her legs open, most of the time she was alone with him. He offered to take her back to his place the first few times, but she refused as she barely knew him so he had asked where she lived. She told him that she shared a dorm at Beacon Academy with three other girls and he indicated that he was interested in taking on all four of them. Yang had slapped him in response and that made him fuck her a little rougher. She enjoyed that time the most.

"We didn't do that much talking but it may have come up in conversation, yeah." She was lying and deliberately being vague, which she knew had 'bad idea' written all over it as Ozpin stared at her over his spectacles with a look that penetrated right into her mind.

"If you don't already know, he's wanted by the police here in Vale and the police force in Mistral. We consider him to be a high level threat to the city's security." The officer peered through his reflective lenses at her. "We tagged him for the first time in eight months while he was with you. Since then, he's been followed and so have you."

"Me? I hardly knew him, to be honest. I'm not even sure whether he thought we were together. He never talked about himself. Always asked me a lot of questions though. What's his crime?"

One of the cops dropped an open file in front of Yang. It was about 200 pages thick. "Multiple homicides, people trafficking, rape, arson, you name it. He's your run-of-the-mill smuggler, liked to target young attractive girls to be sold as slaves. They called him The Butcher for what he did to the ones that weren't up to his standards. Quite a nasty piece of shit."

Ozpin took a pause to frown and read Yang's mind again. He was relieved when he read her signals that she had absolutely no clue.

Yang blanched in horror. Previously, she had thought she had known Ash quite well. "I didn't know he was so dangerous." Obviously, she knew he was a little dangerous. She told them that he carried a concealed firearm, and huge bundles of cash stashed in every pocket, and those were the things that she knew about. That was pretty normal for a drug dealer though, and she knew about it from the start since that was how she met him. Her bar friends decided that they wanted to have a bit of coke one night, but they were all too nervous to approach him, so they recruited Yang and fully encouraged her to flirt with him. They clearly had no idea who he was in the past. They were lucky that he did not snatch Yang from under their noses.

"Did he ever offer to take you anywhere?"

"Yeah."

"Did he ever give you anything, like drugs or drink?"

Yang gulped. "Yeah."

"Anything strange happen after you spent time with him?"

Yang sat there, no part of her moved except her quivering, colourless lips and her frantic eyes as she re-lived the past in a terrifying new light. Ash regularly bought her drinks and brought them to her himself, and when she desired it, he generously shared his drug stash with her. Thinking back, she honestly had no idea what was in any of it, whether he had tampered with her drinks, or whether he had robbed her of autonomy. Ash never did elaborate on the job he was always offering her. He was either (a) biding his time before abducting her and shipping her away to be a submissive sex slave, or (b) grooming her to be a madame. They took her silence as an affirmative response.

"We found the gun that shot the victim in his possession. We're charging him with grievous assault with intent, but that doesn't stop our interest in you. Since you're so young and naive, and your teacher here has given us reason to consider leniency, we wanted to give you the chance to defend yourself. You'll still have to appear in court, of course, for the Butcher's Trial."

"Defend myself? But I haven't done anything wrong."

Ozpin took a padded envelope out from his drawer and held it so calmly that it was threatening. High resolution photos poked out of the neatly knifed opening. Yang feared the worst. "I'm sure you know what these are." Yang numbly accepted the envelope out of Ozpin's hands, even though she felt like the contents were made of lava. She made the mistake of taking the smallest peek by prying the envelope with her fingers, it was exactly as she feared.

"I think it's time you learned some harsh truths about yourself, Miss Xiao Long. We've had our eye on you, and you certainly gave us an eyeful."

"I hope this is not related to the images of yourself that you've put out online. I just say I agree with Professor Goodwitch on this issue, especially considering your position. This is a very tough path to follow and a very fine line to walk between the images you publish and the images in your hand."

"I know how to handle it, promise."

"I hope so." Seemed like Ozpin saw right through her bluff, but he carried on regardless. "However bad it gets, you have your friends to support you. I know they're waiting right outside to make sure you're all right. I imagine they will have a fair few questions for you."

"Please don't tell them what I've been doing, Professor Ozpin. They don't have to know anything. I'll protect them if something happens."

Ozpin stood, towering over Yang. She felt so meek and humble before him. "How will you do that if something happens directly to you? Did you protect Miss Schnee from the trouble you were in yesterday? I'm afraid this affects them now, it would be unethical leave them in the dark. Their knowing could save their lives." He stepped outside to collect the others, but his shoes made no noise across the polished floor.

"You have Ash in custody, right? Surely he can't do anything now, he's in jail."

"For someone like you, he wasn't the first, and he won't be the last."

The officer's moustachioed partner gave him a sidewards glance. "You think a guy like him doesn't have friends, big, mean friends, who wouldn't hesitate to end your life the way you know it? You'd do well to find another hobby, being out alone at night isn't very safe for you anymore."

"I can take care of myself."

"We know, we remember you from the Vytal Festival. We've been waiting for you to do something like this. We didn't catch you the first time because game rules ensured your protection, but now we've got you."

The mean one smiled evilly at Yang. "We'll make an example of you. You're sure to get your just rewards." His mocha-coloured, stained teeth had bits of donut stuck in them, it turned Yang's stomach. She was relieved when Professor Ozpin came back into his office with the rest of Team RWBY in tow.

"Officers, I thank you for your time. I'll take over from here. Your job here is done."

"Our job is done when we say it is."

Ozpin tersely removed his glasses and tightened his grip on his cane. "You have no authority here. Leave, or I'll remove you from this building so hard there won't be a stain."

Team RWBY shared the same look of terror behind Ozpin's back, as the two officers in front of him. They shrugged, and went, muttering about prosecutors. It suddenly felt like a safety net had been taken away. Yang stood there trembling, waiting for her medieval punishment.

"Why are we here, Professor?" Ruby and Blake joined Weiss in asking what was going on, until Ozpin had to raise his hand for silence.

"Unfortunately, it has come to my attention, that your friend Yang here, has found herself facing some very serious accusations indeed. Not only that, she's going to be called upon to testify as a witness in the trial of a man she knows very well."

"What man? The guy from yesterday?"

"Is that why the police were here?"

"Yang, would you care to explain?"

Yang shook her head. "Honestly, no, Professor." She prayed to all the gods she knew for an indication of what Ozpin was thinking when he narrowed his eyes for a split second. Ozpin replayed the slideshow and gave them a quick rundown of Ash and his history. He added the facts that Yang had given him to pad out the story a bit more. Blake had gotten very quiet and withdrawn since Ash's identity had been revealed. Her bow twitched anxiously, and Yang could see her arms tensed up.

"Well, all I can say is, that whatever happens next, I swear I have a good excuse."

"You do?" Blake narrowed her eyes at Yang. Blake read the stamp on Yang's envelope, marking it as coming from the Vale Police Department. "They gave that to you, didn't they? More pictures of Ash?"

"NO." Yang clutched it defensively to her chest.

"Yang, what's in there?"

"I'd really rather not show you." Yang hid the envelope behind her back. Weiss was within reach, so she plucked it from Yang's careless grip. Blake turned away from the desk and walked away, not even wanting to see what it contained.

Ruby dashed over to grab them and take a look. Yang cringed visibly, sick with embarrassment when they slipped out of Ruby's hands as Weiss and Ruby tussled with them, the images of her and Ash covering Ozpin's office floor. Silver eyes went wide with shock. "Urgh, gross! Yang, these are filthy." Ruby hopped away from where the pictures scattered, as if she would catch something by standing on them. Even from the back, Yang's hair and long legs were unmistakable. Blake had no choice but to see her partner in all her glory.

"Geez, Yang, he's _old_." Weiss said in disgust, that was the only thing she noticed about him and then she ignored the male in the photos to study Yang. Out of the hundred plus photos there, 28 were of Ash with 17 different women. Weiss didn't care for those, but her brain decided she had to count them anyway. She couldn't take her eyes away from Yang. It took all of her self-restraint that had been instilled in her since birth, not to drop to the ground and take in the full gory details. She could see enough from her lofty height of 5'3" anyway; Yang's naked body, Yang's sex face, the hungry look in her eyes as she gobbled his cock, her stupid, infuriating, satisfied smile after they had finished.

Ozpin's hyper-clean floor, with its super shiny and smooth, friction-free surface, was obscured by the perverted patchwork of Yang's dirty sins. The incriminating photos left nothing to the imagination. There they were, plain as day, half-naked and screwing under a lamppost on top of the yoga mat that Ash kept in his car. There were various shots of her bent over the car and Ash thrusting into her, others where she was face up with Ash on top of her. Some of them in the car, kissing, and a few of Yang pinned against a wall. Yang noticed a series of photos taken in quick succession, showing them breaking out of the back door of a club. Ash digging his hands around underneath Yang's skirt while they kissed passionately. Yang undoing his belt, and finally, Yang on her knees with his dick in her mouth.

Not all the pictures included Ash, some were random one night stands but she knew all the men through Ash somehow. Maybe the photographer thought that these men were her _clients_. Whoever they had tailing her captured everything, including a very cockdrunk Yang, a dick in each hand and a personal record of four cocks inside her at once; she called that the Yangbang. It didn't seem quite as funny, at this particular moment. She scrambled to hide that photo, but the ones that covered it were just as bad. It was too obvious that this was not spontaneous, unplanned sex. She sought it out consistently. Her friends and sister were appalled that they had been neglected in favour of anonymous, hedonistic sex. From the date stamps on the photos, they could plot how her depravity had escalated over time.

Yang wanted to fall through a hole in the ground and keep falling forever. Yang felt light-headed and faint as she cast her eyes over the spread of photos. More and more of them, bringing to light how easy she was, how she did not give two shits where she had sex or how many people saw. Yang even noticed one that was actually a really good photo of her splayed on top of the car, the nearby club's emergency exit LED sign casting a soft light over her. The investigator had been practising their photography skills (purely down to Yang giving them so many opportunities); it was rather artistic, the way they had captured her gazing up into Ash's face, the tiniest impression of a smile on her lips. The moment looked fairly romantic, except for the fact that there was a blurry figure in the background, filming the action with a scroll.

Blake shook her head at Yang. "This is what you were doing instead of spending time with us." She sounded genuinely hurt.

"Yang, please tell me this is a joke," Ruby begged. Yang laughed nervously and forced a smile, but it ended up crooked and weird. Ruby sighed wearily.

Ozpin said nothing. He waited some time for Yang to begin her confession. He sipped on his coffee and used his eyes to rummage through her mind again. She wanted to talk, she wished she had answers, but should could only draw a blank. "I know this looks bad, and I hold my hands up to say that, yeah, I'm one horny motherfffudger. But it's just sex, it's normal to want sex, nothing wrong with that."

"This is clearly not just sex." Weiss recognised the alleyway out the back of the bar, there were a few pics of Yang leaning back against the wall, like she had done, only Yang had a different cock inside her in every single one. She wanted to burn those ones the most.

"I must say it came as a bit of a surprise when the police told me that these were only half of the pictures. They have video evidence they were keen to let me know, although I'm sure we don't need to see it." His statement affected them the way the cue ball breaks a triangle in pool, they moved and scattered uncomfortably, but nothing happened. The other three were pretty sick of hearing about Yang's promiscuous lifestyle, but they were still outraged at the sheer quantity of Yang's transgressions.

"Didn't you realise that we always worried about you because you never told us where you went, or who you were with?"

"No." Yang said to the only portion of Ozpin's desk that did not have nude photos of her plastered all over it.

"Now that we know, I don't know what to think of you. We were right to be worried, no wonder you wanted to hide it."

"It's my thing, Ruby knows it is."

"No, Yang, I didn't know. I just thought you liked drinking, not- not this. Right, new Team RWBY rule, no dating bad guys."

"I've never had anyone treat me badly, not until yesterday."

Weiss reacted to that information with a split second heated glare, until she controlled that flare of anger. She wanted revenge on everyone who had not given Yang the respect she deserves. One hand was neatly hidden behind her, but obviously shaking and tightly fisted. "You can't handle alcohol as well as I can, I think people have taken advantage of you drunk, and you don't remember or realise. Alcohol was involved in every single one of these photos, it turns you into a slut."

"Miss Schnee, you will watch your language in my office."

"Have you ever woken up next to a complete stranger?" Weiss carried on without apologising.

Of course she had. A good number of times more than Yang deemed acceptable. "Yeah, once."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. It was actually terrifying when Weiss drained herself of all colour in a blink, and her face changed into a perfectly-made serene mask. "Are you sure you weren't just too drunk to remember the other times?" Weiss said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Blake and Ruby had to agree that it was likely, but they agreed out of fear of Weiss mostly.

"I can actually control myself with alcohol, you know. I'm not nearly as bad as you all think I am."

The Ice Queen's demure mask slipped momentarily. "So you're doing this with all your faculties intact? I highly doubt it. I wonder how many times men have bought you with drinks."

"I'm not a prostitute, no one can buy me, I'm not for sale. Besides, I wouldn't be as cheap as a few drinks."

"I think someone has already paid you for sex. I can see in your eyes that you've already chosen your price. You couldn't lie your way out of a paper bag, Xiao Long. You'd have better luck opening your legs and getting a man to do it for you."

"Any more pathetic insults from you, Miss Schnee, I fear will warrant a formal warning." Weiss' fury was extinguished in a flash, and her sharp tongue was brought back under control by the threat of a mark on her permanent record and a stern letter home.

Weiss had picked up a handful of the glossy photos and crushed them in her fist. "You're such a..." She exclaimed in frustration, chucked them in Yang's face and marched towards the elevator.

"Miss Schnee, we are not finished. I must insist that you re-join your team." Where she had been hunched over in fury, Weiss straightened like a flagpole was being inserted into her spinal column. She composed herself and glided towards Ozpin's desk with all the smouldering inner rage that only a Schnee could conceal. Head held high, face smooth as polished marble, she placed herself as far away from Yang as she could possibly get.

"Ruby, you've been rather quiet. As the leader of your team, is there anything you want to say to them?"

Yang tingled all over, and the hair on the back of her neck bristled. Ruby was the last person she wanted to speak now. She dreaded the thought of her sister's opinion of her after learning about her sexual deviance.

"Yang, this is all too real. I can't believe this, I knew you weren't the brightest, but this- this is awful."

"Hey!" Yang blurted out. Really, at a time like this, she had to be reminded that she wasn't the sharpest tool in the box?

"I'm worried for you, how could you do something like this?" Ruby gestured to the photos on the floor, with a face that showed plainly her disappointment.

"I don't know. I wasn't thinking."

"You're damn right, you weren't thinking! You never think! What if dad knew about this? I'm so ashamed of you, I don't even want to call you my sister. This guy is a killer, and you're like his girlfriend." Ruby was almost in tears. "I've always trusted you to do what's right, to know what's best, but you- You're so full of shit and I hate you!" Ruby screamed in rage.

Yang stared at Ruby's leaking eyes. "Ruby Rose, take that back. Now."

Ruby was shaking and the tears were coming non-stop. "No, not until you apologise."

"I said, I was sorry! It was just a bit of fun at first. I never meant for it to be anything more than that. I'm telling you that I had no idea this guy was such a scumbag. I wouldn't be involved with him if I knew. You know me, Ruby, I'm not this! They're trying to make me look bad, they're out to get me since the whole Vytal Festival thing. I'm not a bad person."

"Prove it. Say sorry to Blake and to all of us, but like you mean it, without any excuses!"

This was it, make or break. Everything Yang said now would affect their present and future relationships within Team RWBY. Yang's dignity was already in tatters, so it wouldn't be too big a stretch to swallow her pride as well. She breathed out a deeply regretful sigh. "I am really, really sorry that I was ignoring you guys and I know that having fun is not an acceptable excuse. I'm especially sorry to Blake for when I forgot her birthday, and I swear I'll make that up to you. I'll make everything up to you all. I'm not that stupid, I know I've been an idiot with falling behind on my work, and it's not fair to you guys, especially Blake. From now on, I'll put you guys first in everything so we won't have this problem again. And none of this is a promise, it's a fact. So please, I'm begging you, will you guys give me another chance?"

There was a poignant silence. Yang's palms were slippery and her pulse was racing, anticipating her teammates' response. She was so nervous that they would not have it in their hearts to forgive her, that they would say that she had gone too far for redemption. She breathed a sigh of relief when Ruby's face brightened in respect of Yang's sincerity. "What do you think, guys? Should we forgive her?"

"I will." Blake turned a hard piercing look towards Weiss, and then regarded Yang with friendliness, "She's truly sorry, and I believe her about this Ash guy. I know what it's like to be involved with a guy who isn't necessarily on the right side of the law." Yang mouthed 'thank you' to her.

Ruby turned to Weiss who huffed. "You have got to be kidding me."

Ruby screwed up her face, like she was in moderate pain and then shook herself out of it. "I'm sorry, sis." Ruby leapt into Yang's arms. "I can't stay mad at you. I was just so hurt that you were drifting away from us. It felt like you were leaving me, and when I found out why, I lost it. Don't run away again, got it?"

"I'll never leave you, Ruby. I'm stuck with you forever, right?" Ruby nodded and cuddled closer to Yang before being put down. Yang ruffled her hair affectionately. They all turned to Weiss now.

She rolled her eyes. "Tch, fine. I forgive you." Weiss did not sound very convincing but it was the best that Yang was going to get. Yang grabbed her friends and little sister in an awkward group hug. Weiss slipped out of the hug, and straightened out her clothes. "So, Professor, you mentioned an assignment?"

The corner of Ozpin's mouth angled up into a partial smile. "Miss Schnee, I'm pleased you were listening. I do indeed have a special assignment for you." Ozpin necked what was left in his mug, cleared his throat, and gestured to the two sofas and armchair near a steampunk coffee table. They chose their seats, but nobody wanted to sit next to Yang. Ruby, the nearest to Yang, and Weiss had bunched up much closer than they normally would, so that another person could fit in the gap between them and Yang. Blake was by herself on a separate couch entirely.

"I, like the other Professors here, am qualified to teach skills pertinent to becoming a Huntsman or a Huntress, although my skill is much more, shall we say, specialised than the others. It is usually reserved for selected students in their final year, but I see an excellent opportunity in teaching it to you at an earlier stage.

"I can see that you'll be getting into situations like this again, no matter what rules I impose. The four of you have a predictable magnetism for trouble. There's no point denying that the rules have been relaxed for you before. I've given it a fair bit of thought, and I've come to the decision that it would be best to train you in the art of espionage. In a strange way, I'm not trying to encourage this behaviour, although I do expect you to practise what you learn. Rather, it's more to help you recognise it happening to you.

"This will not be taught at any other academy in Remnant, as it is generally frowned upon to teach students to lie, steal, deceive. I will teach you to make your enemies your greatest friends, and to numb yourselves when you betray their trust. It is a very fine line to walk, between good and bad. I am trusting all of you to be responsible with this information and thus, you must never use these tactics unless acting under orders from Beacon or another kingdom's academy. But I can promise you, that what you learn with me will be the most useful knowledge in your life.

Instantly, everyone leaned forward, perched on the edge of their seats, slavering to devour the knowledge that Ozpin was offering. Yang's opinion of the headteacher had changed drastically by the end of his lecture. He had seemed emotionless, stoic, and a little bit heartless, but once he began teaching he was animated and passionate. She realised that he must've started his career the same as any other professor, teaching students. He still retained the heartlessness, but that made his subject matter all the more suited to him. A lot of things suddenly made more sense about him, due to the fact that at one point, he was definitely a spy.

Having all this new knowledge was making her light-headed, it was like she had been given new eyes that saw things as never before. She was swimming in sensory stimulation and that she could process with logic and perceive things that would have otherwise passed her by. She was slightly disturbed when she realised that this is what Blake must feel like all the time, who was born with superhuman sight and hearing.

"Well, that was," Ruby had been entranced by Ozpin's lecture too, "Interesting. Doesn't it all sound like so much fun?"

Weiss had found it less useful though. "I don't see how I would be any good undercover, people know my face. They'd know I'm a Schnee."

"That could be just as useful as pretending to be someone else, your disguise is yourself. People would trust you more easily, you could gain access to people or places where others would be trespassing." Blake saw the truth of the situation. "Your cover would be easier to maintain."

"Oh yeah, that's right, you went undercover before, haven't you Blake? Did you learn anything new from Ozpin?"

"I think can safely say yes, I did. Sun and I didn't really know what we were doing, we were just winging it. And we were caught."

Ruby's eyes had a shiny glaze over them, like she had been staring into space and fantasising. "A few more lessons like that, and you'll be Blake Belladonna, master infiltrator and secret espionage agent."

Blake laughed. "A few more decades, more like. Don't you remember what Ozpin said? Never consider yourself a master of anything or you'll stop improving."

"I never thought of him as a teacher before, like a real one." Weiss said, "But I will admit he's talented. Very talented."

"I feel special, being taught by the headmaster."

"You were special before that, sis. Dad always said so."

"Hey! Shut up!" Ruby and Yang jumped into a ball of childish bitch slaps, while Blake and Weiss rolled their eyes at them, but smiling. Weiss felt good, for what seemed like the first time in ages, she laughed along with the others when Ruby accidentally pulled Yang's hair and she flipped. Ruby dashed around with short bursts of speed, evading Yang's lumbering strikes, taunting her all the while. Maybe she did, and maybe she didn't, but the next time Ruby ran a ring around them, there was some kind of white wedge-heeled shoe on the ground in her way, no idea how that got there. Ruby landed on her chin.

Before Yang could take advantage of her sister's vulnerability, Weiss touched her arm and her rage dissipated. "I need to talk to you. In private."

"I was thinking the exact same thing."

"This isn't working." Yang moaned, as they wandered around campus trying to find somewhere quiet. They tried the library first of all, but too many people felt entitled to talk to them and constant interruptions made them irritated and angry. They made some bullshit excuses and left using separate exits to meet up in the gardens. It was, again, difficult to find some peace as the garden served as a walkway between two large school buildings, and the few out-of-the-way spots were already taken. It was impossible to be discreet in the cafeteria as there were too many listening ears so that location was ruled out, which left them with little else.

"Why don't we take a trip, I mean, go find somewhere? Not far, like near Forever Fall or something," Weiss suggested.

Twenty minutes later, they were in their dorm, hatching an escape plan. "This is so not what Ozpin meant," Yang said, as she dressed as inconspicuously as possible. Her hair still stood out like a sore thumb, but there was nothing they could do about that.

"I'm sure he expects us to practise the skills he's teaching. Like any other subject, we need to study." Weiss said, pulling a black turtleneck over her head.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let me get my keys."

"We can't take Bumblebee, they'll see us leaving. Or they'll notice your bike is missing from the parking lot. That is like basic stealth, Yang." Trust Yang to have the most recognisable vehicle of anyone studying at Beacon. Professor Port did have an ultra low-rider, but staff had a separate car park.

"Dammit. That would be the fastest way out of here. You'll have to ride her some other time."

Their ninja skills didn't turn out to be so bad, not good enough to sneak out through the front gate, but good enough to find the pedestrian entrance to the underground car park and dodge the perimeter patrols and go out the wire gate that, despite the heightened security, was left unlocked. When they got a good distance down the open but deserted road, they began to laugh about how easy it was. They were lucky, the guard in the parking lot was outside smoking as they dashed in between cars, and they tried two other doors before they found the one with the spiral staircase leading up to surface level. When they reached the first service station on the road, Weiss called a cab and took the driver's recommendation for a nice, romantic place to eat.

Yang pulled out the chair for Weiss, and Weiss thanked her in a robotic way. Yang sat opposite her in one of the comfy chairs, and pretended to read the menu. Weiss' forefinger twirled her hair, she had been doing that for the whole car ride into town, and the idea of running her hands through Yang's hair was constantly on her mind.

They engaged in small talk, discussing the menu and talking about the atrocious weather they had been having. But they fidgeted nervously and their eyes wandered away from each other while they chatted. Weiss ultimately got her hand under control as the drinks were served, and she latched onto the wine glass like it was her mother's teat.

"So while you finish that bottle before the meal arrives, let's talk about what happened last night."

Weiss took her time over the thoughtful sip of delicately aged wine and locked eyes with Yang over the rim, as she took a sniff through her semi-runny nose. "It's been a while since I did something like that."

"You mean cocaine? Or are we talking about something else?"

"I'm sorry you noticed that." She believed that she was being discreet, and anything that may have happened could be blamed on the more legal influence of alcohol.

"I mean it wasn't too difficult. Your jaw was swinging like a pendulum, you couldn't just shut the fuck up, and the gesturing, oh man, that was non-stop, in and out the bathroom every half hour, and those were the obvious signs."

"I'll have to be more careful in future."

"Wow, even getting arrested isn't a deterrent for you."

"Seriously, it's just a bit of coke, it's so minor, and technically, I wasn't arrested for that. It's not like I'm shooting up or smoking rocks in a crack den."

"Have you ever?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Hell no, what do you take me for?"

"Sor-ry! I wasn't the one casually pulling Class A drugs out of my bra last night. I learned so many interesting things about you in the past 24 hours, Ice Queen."

"Oh yeah, care to share some of the things you learnt?"

"You're not as dull as you appear."

"Hey!" Weiss kicked Yang's shin under the table.

"That probably sounded better in my head. What I mean to say is, I had a lot of fun. You were quite the entertainer."

Weiss gestured to her wine glass. "Well, it's easier once I've had a drink. Helps me to loosen up, so I can be myself a bit more. It also helps take the edge off cocaine."

That first bit Yang expected, she saw the evidence for herself last night, and she had to admit that it was hella fun. But that last bit, made her feel like they should have been more cautious. "You seem like a pro at this, Weiss. Is there something I should be worried about?"

"No, I won't be getting back into that, thank you very much. I've done my time. Last night was a mistake, it won't happen again."

"Wait, you don't think the whole of last night was a mistake, do you?"

"No," Weiss said softly, "there's some parts of last night that definitely bear repeating."

Yang licked her lips, dropping her gaze to Weiss' mouth as she did so. "You're so…"

"So, what?"

"Persuasive." Yang realised this was not news to Weiss due to the smug grin she allowed to spread over her lips for half a moment. "I definitely think we have some unfinished business left over from last night."

They did not speak for a few minutes while they both scrolled through their private thoughts about the previous evening. It was lucky that the food arrived when it did, because Yang did not know how to restart the conversation. Yang was happy to see Weiss tucking into her starter, they went the whole hog and got a large five-course meal, since they had both skipped an entire day's worth of meals. The baked goods from earlier were burnt up in their daring escape, and being stealthy worked up quite an appetite.

"That was delicious," Yang said when their plates were cleared away. The waitress smiled at them, and refilled their wine.

"This vintage is excellent," Weiss said, gratefully taking her drink and drinking enough of it that the waitress poured her some more. As she was bent over the glass, an old codger in an anorak pinched her bum as he went past. She blushed, apologising to Yang and Weiss, and continued to serve them like nothing happened.

"I hate that. He shouldn't have touched her, and she did nothing about it. That kind of shit makes me furious."

Yang's face cracked into a grin. "It pretty much happens to me all the time."

"Well, it shouldn't. Yang, why do you let them treat you that way?"

"Because… I don't know, because they're men. It's what men do, they don't usually mean any harm by it. Boys will be boys and all that."

"No. Never say that, never excuse their behaviour. If girls are expected to control themselves, so can men. I noticed that you know a lot of guys. Are you in a relationship with any of them?"

"I would've said so if I was together with someone. I just know them well. Really, really well. I'd trust them with my life."

"That's a big compliment."

"Oh, I guess it is. There are obviously a few people who I trust a bit more than that."

"Go on."

"You, so we can get that out of the way. Ruby, clearly, you've seen her save my ass more than once."

"Do you trust Blake?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Do you think she trusts you?"

"Uh, I hope so. She knows I'd do anything for her."

"Really, because until we started hanging out together, outside of lectures, you were gallivanting off with these other friends of yours and we never saw you. Blake took it hardest, and when you didn't show up to her birthday, I think she lost a lot of faith in you that day."

Yang sighed. When had she got that bad, to forget about her friends? Her real friends. She sighed again. "I don't know what happened, I didn't handle being disqualified from the tournament very well." That was putting it lightly. "I've been in trouble before, but nothing like that. I was pretty sure I was getting kicked out of school, but Ironwood just talked to me about it and then he disqualified me from the tournament. Not that I would've won against Pyrrha anyway."

"I think you could've beaten her. It would've been the upset of the century."

Yang snorted. "Yeah, right. She'd rip me a new one, and then skullfuck me with her spear. She saw what I did, if we did end up fighting, I don't think she would've had any mercy for me. I mean, I thank my lucky stars that I wasn't arrested for that punch. I genuinely saw him attack me, I didn't mean to fucking kneecap the poor guy."

"I know, I believe you."

"You were like the only one who did at first."

"I could tell from your stance what you were thinking. We spent what, maybe 100 hours preparing for the doubles match, I watched you train and fight. I know your style. When you threw that punch, you were coming off the back foot, you were evading a strike and counter-attacking. Anyone with a bit of training in martial arts should've been able to see that."

"Yeah, thank you. I knew someone would realise eventually, why didn't you tell Blake at the time?"

"Trust me, I had words with her today. She knows she really hurt you. I'm sorry, I kind of told her what I thought of her decisions."

Yang couldn't imagine Weiss being very kind about it. "So, basically, you stood up for me. To Blake."

"Yeah, in my own way. She was sitting there complaining that we never saw you and that she really missed you, without realising that she may have been the one to push you away."

"She wasn't the only reason I went to the bar. Since it's out in the open now, I'm not gonna beat around the bush. I wanted to feel good. Everything after that match, made me feel really strange, something _changed_. I know I have you guys as a team but when shit hit the fan, I acted alone. I felt so isolated. All the consequences were on me, you were in the clear. It was a dark time for me."

"We would've backed you up. All you needed to do was talk to us."

"I tried that, and then I ended up crying, remember? I couldn't relate to any of you, none of you saw what I saw. I know it was dumb to hide from you, but none of the men I met cared about all that. They were horny and so was I, so we both got what we wanted."

"All you cared about was getting off? What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing! I just like sex. A lot."

Weiss was silent for at least a minute while she decided how to respond to that. "How many men have you had sex with?"

Yang frowned. "Are you being serious, do I really have to answer that?"

Weiss put both hands up in surrender, and then drained her wine glass. "No, I was just curious. There were a lot of pictures." She tossed a crumpled photo over the table and into Yang's lap. Yang opened up the paper ball and gasped before ripping it to pieces.

"Fuck. Shit, that is bad, isn't it?" None were truly flattering, but Weiss had picked the most disgusting one. Yang was sitting reverse cowgirl on one of Ash's friends while she had both of Ash's balls sucked into her mouth, and both her hands greedily gripped around his shaft. She always did love giving head, she found it was the easiest way to get a man to surrender himself to her, and get anything she wanted out of him. Her tits and face were already splattered with cum that it was visibly dripping off her. Even worse was the look in her eyes, like she so desperately needed to please him. Thankfully, Yang remembered that night, or most of it anyway. The sex bits she definitely remembered.

"Yang," Weiss chose her words slowly and carefully, "while none of it was technically wrong, it is extremely worrying and dangerous. That guy from last night, he wasn't lying, was he?" Yang shook her head. "Damn, I was kinda hoping he was. How long have you known him?" Yang shrugged and Weiss sighed heavily. "You don't even know his name, do you?"

"I don't know, I think I met him once or twice before. Trouble is, he looks the same as all the others."

Weiss grimaced at Yang's lack of taste, the man was not attractive in any conventional or unconventional sense. The only things he had going for him were that he was slightly built and desperately single. "I think we should face facts right now. You have to stop sleeping around, because there's no way we will ever find it acceptable if you continue doing this, Yang. It's like you have a profound lack of self-respect."

Yang stuttered. She had nothing to say back to that. She lacked basic trust in herself, and that made her untrustworthy in other people's eyes. It was a vicious cycle causing her grades to suffer, then she lost further confidence in abilities, and that made her grades even worse. That was about the time when she gave up completely. Her friends wrote her off as hopeless. In her own eyes, she was worthless and didn't deserve respect so who cared if she fucked a different guy every night? It wasn't like she gave them any respect. She used them.

"I'm serious. You're so much better than that. I'm not judging you, by the way, this isn't personal. I think I speak for the team when I say this kind of behaviour is embarrassing, for us, as well as you. I'm not saying this to hurt you, I would never do that. I'm only saying this because I... care about you, a lot. We all do."

Yang was too humiliated to speak. She mirrored Weiss taking a huge sip of chilled wine. Her mouth remained dry, despite the drink. Her first instinct was to become defensive, but there was no chance of winning an uphill argument against the silver-tongue of Weiss Schnee. The flimsy reasoning she had used to justify it to herself would not wash with Weiss, and with Weiss unleashed out of Ozpin's office, Yang had true fear for the verbal smackdown that Weiss could lay on her. Weiss sounded far more concerned, and way less disapproving than Yang expected. She must be really awful, if Weiss thought she was too bad to fix with a harsh word.

"Yang, are you listening?"

"Yeah." Yang nodded. "I get it. I know what you're saying. I got away with it before, but not anymore. Next time, I might not be so lucky, so I'm stopping all that."

"Good." Weiss finished her wine, but Yang had only managed half. Yang did her best to catch up as Weiss poured herself another. Yang slid her glass over, so Weiss could pour her a drink that she didn't particularly want, but needed more than anything. Weiss smiled as they clinked glasses.

Yang looked at her wine in despair. Shame on her, for needing to be told that she had to quit being so easy, getting fucked in dark alleys, and thinking nothing of taking on two guys at once. It was all too much for Yang. Her head fell into her hands. "Weiss, I'm so sorry. I didn't take you out to that bar so I could fuck you. I swear on Ruby's life that I would never treat you like one of them."

Weiss gulped. "It's ok, I know that. We're friends, right?"

"Best friends," Yang corrected sheepishly.

"Yeah, best friends. Sometimes things happen between friends, it's not unheard of."

"I feel awful that it had to happen like this, though. You didn't before, Weiss. I need you to tell me that you forgive me. That you don't see me as some dumb, used whore."

Weiss saw what was really going on. Weiss wanted to reach out and soothe Yang's pain. They both jumped in their seats as they realised they were already holding hands over the table. Weiss could not remember first touching Yang or taking her hand. Her smile was full of genuine kindness and warmth. "I would never dream of thinking of you like that. I do forgive you, obviously. I'm here, talking to you." She gave Yang's hand a comforting squeeze.

Their scrolls, which they had placed on the table face down, began to vibrate and shimmy across the tablecloth. Yang caught hers before it dropped off the side. She put Ruby on speakerphone.

"Guys, Goodwitch is looking for you. You need to get back here right away."

"But we're at least an hour from home."

"Why did you leave in the first place? What were you thinking? Please don't tell me you left to go out drinking again."

Yang put down the wine glass she was about to drink from. "We wanted to talk in private."

"And you couldn't have done that somewhere on campus? She's absolutely furious with you. I thought I told you to keep out of trouble. If you're far from home, get moving. You don't have much time, they're gonna put the gates on lockdown and you won't be let back in." That was Ruby's final warning before she hung up.

Weiss could already imagine the telling off that Goodwitch had in store for them and the bitchfit that Ruby was going to throw when they got back to their dorm. If they got back. "Oh, shit."

Yang nearly dropped her scroll into her plate of **entrée**. "We better go." They ran out of there, already going into stealth mode, but not before Weiss dropped a few large notes on the table, intentionally overpaying for their meal they had barely eaten half of. The street outside was dishearteningly deserted, Weiss tried and failed to hail a cab. Her app informed them that, sadly, there were no rides available in that area for 30 minutes. Yang did keep trying, she waved and whistled at every passing car, but none stopped. Weiss had her scroll pressed against her ear and her brow was furrowed intently.

"Who are you calling?" Weiss snapped her attention to Yang to shush her, and then returned to her phone call. After a few angry mutterings, and the response of whomever Weiss had on the line, Weiss confirmed their location. She pointed Yang to start walking up the street, and jogged past to lead the way.

"Come on, we gotta get to the police station."

Yang grabbed Weiss by the arm, and screeched to a halt. "What? I just got out of there, I'm not going back."

"We have to, it's the nearest helipad, you dumbass."

"We're going on a helicopter?! Did you just- You phoned for a helicopter like you were phoning for a cab. Holy shit, that's so freaking cool!"

"We have to get to the station first. They gave us ten minutes." Yang bolted, with Weiss following closely behind. When they got to the desk, manned by a nervous-looking junior officer, they realised that they had no idea how they were going to convince the police that they needed to use the helipad and weren't going to try and sabotage a police chopper while they were there. His eye was keen enough to detect their inner turmoil, and before Weiss could open her mouth to speak, he stood up.

"Let me get my manager."

It was the female officer who had shared the cruiser with them last night. She did not look pleased to see them. She absolutely refused their request to be allowed onto the helipad, as protocol clearly stated that members of the public were not allowed in the restricted areas of the police station. Interrupted by some brief radio chatter from the chief, she huffed and silently marched them through the station, out onto the roof where their ride was waiting.

Even their impending punishment could not dampen Yang's excitement at riding in a helicopter. She had a ridiculous, wide grin as they placed the headset on her, and she kept faking radio static over the mic. Vale looked amazing from the sky, at night, when all the streets were lit up like the pulsing arteries of the city. Their relatively low altitude gave them an amazing view to marvel at that spanned as far as the eye could see. It was a short flight, but they still missed their deadline. Their good feels were completely gone when they saw Professor Goodwitch waiting for them on top of Beacon tower.

"You are drunk. I can smell the alcohol on your breath."

"We are not drunk."

"We drank, yeah, but no, we are not drunk."

"Ladies, follow me. In silence."

It was a test, which they failed. She allowed them to whisper simply to try and gauge how drunk they actually were. Goodwitch seethed as she heard Weiss whisper to Yang whether she thought the professor knew about the cocaine.

"I do now." Goodwitch chided, as she scowled behind her thin, black-rimmed lenses.


	6. Chapter 5: Between You, Me & the Bedpost

**A/N: I shouldn't have to say this but my fic is rated M for a reason. NSFW.**

 **Chapter 5: Between You, Me & the Bedpost**

Goodwitch kept them on a tight leash for the two weeks that she had been left in charge of them. Aside from sleeping and eating, all of their time was devoted to education and revision. The only time they spent alone was at the gym where Goodwitch would not follow. Weiss grumpily conceded that the best time to go was in the morning before lectures, as Goodwitch was keen to keep them busy in the evenings with inane and demeaning tasks, like tidying up the library after their little impromptu gathering of over a thousand students had made the room unrecognisable - chairs, tables, and most importantly, books were out of order and not in their proper place. Yang and Weiss, like naughty school children, found the whole thing hilarious, and kept making fun of Goodwitch behind her back. Taking her seriously was out of the question, especially after the police had detained them in handcuffs. Any punishment that Goodwitch doled out paled in insignificance compared to being locked in a real police jail cell. They were just putting up with her until they could shake her off their tails, and return to the status quo. Ozpin had not said whether there was an expiration date of the school-wide curfew, but Yang felt confident that its term was coming to an end.

At least after things got back to normal, Yang would be so much more prepared for the upcoming midterm, she was even outsmarting Weiss on certain occasions and she never let her smartypants bestie forget it. Yang was now the resident Defense Against the Grimm Horde expert, and though Weiss appeared annoyed that she had been bested in academic matters, couldn't have been more proud of her. Yang came up with a silly childish poem to help her remember the names and weaknesses of rare Grimm species, and even though it annoyed Weiss at first, she had to admit that it was very easy to remember and fairly genius the way the limerick was a mnemonic. She proudly recorded the poem in her infamous ring binder so she could keep it forever.

In the gym, Weiss' was making continual progress and catching up to Yang in huge leaps and bounds, faster than Yang thought possible. Weiss had finally adapted, through copying Yang, to eating a helluva lot more, and she stuffed her face at meal times and gleefully watched the numbers on the scales creep up slowly, but her clothes still fit the same, or better in some cases. Yang pushed her harder and harder, until she was sure that Weiss trained with the same or higher intensity as she did. Weiss was even growing a little bubble butt and started wearing tighter and tighter pants to show it off, and she was a big fan of off-the-shoulder style tops once her delts and traps began to pop.

It took barely a few hours after their first escape before people were begging them to share how they did it. As if their legendary status needed any further confirmation, the fact that they managed to elude the curfew on the first night, made them hot property on Beacon campus. Yang wasn't the only one who liked to drink in the evenings, and some students were particularly shady about their reasons for wanting out, but Weiss made an executive decision that their cunning getaway route shouldn't be exposed to the general public, or it would be abused and ruined. Everyone wanted to be their friend, everyone tried to claim that their need to get out was greatest. Therefore, it became beneficial for them to be together all the time, so there were fewer chances that either one could be cornered on their own and pressured into giving their secret away.

Soon, Ruby and Blake realised that Yang and Weiss being attached at the hip at all times was par for the course. Ruby, as always, carried on as normal, preferring not to see how quickly Yang and Weiss had melded into one entity and how much it rubbed Blake the wrong way. Some days, the Faunus looked ready to prise them apart with an electrified crowbar. Although to be fair to Blake, it was kind of sickening to watch Weiss fawning over Yang in a way that blunted her usual lightning-quick harsh wit, and Yang acting like a dopey bumbling idiot with a 20-point drop in IQ. In order to avoid that quicksand of awkward mushy crap, Blake was not going to beat about the bush and, any time she could, left them in favour of a group of mysterious students who also liked to wear black. She did not look back as she sought out the comfort of her new group of friends, ones who were not liable to get arrested after a few drinks, and make bad decisions that affected the entire student body.

Yang and Weiss did not notice Blake's absence as they were too wrapped up in themselves, and their Scrollmates personas. They made sure to mention it in front of Goodwitch all the time, and celebrate all their little follower and heart milestones. They were ostentatiously flirty and brazen in the strict professor's presence, and they revelled in how much it infuriated Goodwitch every single day. Yang learned that Weiss had a wicked way with words, she could phrase things in a way that was so fucking full of filth, she was surprised that Goodwitch never cottoned on to how dirty they were being.

Yang made the best one-liners into hashtags, and they unforgivingly tagged Goodwitch in anything to do with Yang and her growing fan club. Yang began to receive gifts, cards, and other fanmail in the physical post, as well as the daily influx of messages that, even with two of them, they could barely keep on top of. They left the huge bouquets and unwrapped gift boxes out in the open for Goodwitch to see and tut at. ΩBeaconBabes was an unstoppable phenomenon, especially since Yang and Weiss were hungry and strived hard for greater success, in order to spite the bitchy professor who thought she was their supervisor.

As she used her editing suite more often, Weiss got more skilled at working on images and videos of Yang. Weiss taught Yang how to do it too, but she always preferred it when Weiss did it with her magic fingers. They were just on the verge getting a quarter of a million likes when Pyrrha approached them. It was after they posted Yang's first workout video. She asked if they could film and edit a video of her and Nora training. Weiss happily agreed, as long as Yang could be in the video too. Yang coached them through a brutal leg day, pleased with how well they could keep up, but she knew she still thrashed their thigh muscles to oblivion. Their duck-butt walks and pained groans as they sat down for the next three days were quite funny, but Yang acknowledged that they did good. It looked good too. That video broke worldwide records for fastest new views ever, if it carried on the way it was, it would get two hundred million hits in six days.

A lot of people began to sit up and take notice since they had included Pyrrha on their page. Weiss had finally chosen the almost-perfect picture of her to be published to their now millions of faithful followers. She was fully clothed in her photo, but it still smashed their latest record of likes. It didn't take much convincing to get Nora to strip, showing off those wonderful, motorboatable tits she had, and pose for a series of bikini shots by the side of the outdoor pool. Pyrrha needed more persuasion, but she was coaxed into a demure private photoshoot and then tricked into consenting to take her armour off. She was actually really good at it, twisting and contorting herself in sexy poses in her bra and panties.

Weiss gave her the magic treatment and the result had the stopping power of a 9mm hollow point bullet to the chest. The picture was so red hot, Yang was a bit too jealous to post it, but Weiss reassured her that she was still the main Beacon Babe. The majority of comments were praise from genuine fans, or butthurt haters saying how fake they were. Pyrrha bore the brunt of the negative comments but she herself said that she was used to it, and she took it as some kind of twisted compliment that all these sad, bitter people took time out of their lives to make known to everyone how small their brains were.

Jaune was particularly unhappy about the new fame his girlfriend and friends had acquired. It drew more attention to him, and how he couldn't even hope to measure up. Yang felt a bit bad for him.

"Would it make you feel better if you did a photo with us, Jaune?" Yang offered with a small smirk. She didn't feel that bad, it seemed.

Jaune hesitated long enough for Nora to whisper ridiculous, but compelling reasoning in his ear, until he leapt forward to offer himself up for online scrutiny. He turned to Pyrrha with a look of deep regret, as Weiss and Yang cheerily linked arms with him, and carted him off to plan their photoshoot. Poor Jaune was visibly nervous when they made him take his shirt off. It was not cool for him that Yang's arms looked twice as big as his, and she kept not-so-subtly pulling poses that emphasised her physical superiority.

In a moment of weakness, Jaune suddenly lost faith that this whole thing was a good idea and he hid himself behind tightly crossed arms. It was only the sight of Weiss' ass in yoga pants, while she was bent over picking up the stylus she had dropped ever so clumsily, that made him more willing to acquiesce to her request. He relaxed completely and did as they asked when Pyrrha appeared behind them, and took a few pictures on her scroll. Cheered on by her coy smile as she scrolled through the candid pictures, Jaune puffed out his chest and stood straight up, making him look at least as manly as Ren. She joined him in the photo that they ended up posting, he held her closely from behind, sweetly kissing her on the cheek. A lot of their majority male followers were very vocal about their devastation over the fact that Pyrrha was not single.

A good number of requests came through for the next Beacon Babe to be a Faunus, seemed like a lot of people had a fetish for it, some markedly more seedy than others. As a result, they had to sift through a worrying amount of racism in the comments when they confirmed that they would oblige. However, their first choice, Blake, refused to pose for them, even when Weiss offered her a generous remuneration package for her time. She was way too busy with her new all black-wearing friends, and besides, her bow would be totally pointless if she took it off and had soft-lit photos taken with her furry cat ears on show. Velvet did the photos in a bustier and suspenders set instead, and people freaked out over the Bunny Girl and started several hundred fan pages for her within a couple of hours.

A few other girls asked to be featured, but they preferred to keep to their own tight circle of friends, so therefore a bunch of imitation pages sprang up seemingly out of nowhere. Weiss made it a priority to snatch up all the versions of their name and hold them with dummy accounts, to prevent their brand being used fraudulently to gain exposure. A few of their more entrepreneurial followers took it upon themselves to make and market easily consumable items such as pens, T-shirts, posters, and candy bars with Yang's face on and supposed endorsement. All Weiss has to do, was threaten them with legal action to get them to stop, so she could swoop in and take all the products for herself. Yang autographed a few prizes of a 'share to enter' competition, and they had to make a waiting list for pre-orders for the regular unsigned stuff once their initial stock sold out.

Using the pennies they were generating from internet traffic and pop-up ads, Weiss procured another scroll and used it to share control of ΩBeaconBabes and manage all their idle accounts. Weiss was the one who was really in charge, obviously, she had to proofread everything that Yang wrote for basic spelling and grammar mistakes. Weiss was always ten steps ahead, she took all the possible names of fanclubs that she could think of (which was many), and added them to her growing domain.

Soon it was necessary to think about involving other people, as it was just too much work for Weiss and Yang to handle on top of their already crazy schedules. Velvet took over their day-to-day admin duties, answered messages and comments, prepared responses half an hour before release and she waited for peak user times to boost the popularity of new posts. Pretty clever, huh.

It was clear that Velvet was born for this job, she was such a networker and her customer service skills were top notch. She asked to take on more roles, and they let her handle all the merchandise purchases and sales, and she earned a tidy commission from every unit sold. Velvet also took charge of the production of photos, being an experienced photographer herself. She had all the kit, lights, reflectors, diffusers, lenses, filters, the whole shebang, and all this combined to make Yang look hundreds of times better than she did before.

Since Velvet's involvement they also had the ability to have proper photos taken of the two of them, rather than just selfies. Velvet really helped them, showing them poses and constructing scenes to really give their photos that little bit extra, separating them from the crowd of similar pages. She brought a tasteful touch to all their media, and, most helpfully, a keen editing eye to their popular website. Velvet took no crap from them when she opted to remove all their shitposting, even though most had already accumulated thousands of likes. Suddenly, they looked like professional models, and despite their charmingly naive intentions of keeping a homemade feel, Yang shot to stardom, her rise likened to young pop and movie stars exploding into the mediasphere.

There were always major surges in activity whenever they posted a workout video. There were a few videos of the Ice Queen herself, documenting her progress in PRs at squats and deadlifts, but they mainly consisted of Yang either lifting an insane amount of weight, or workout porn of Yang's cut and jacked body. Weiss was preparing one right now, and applied numerous filters to the video she shot of Yang doing squats. She uploaded that and a collage as she went along. While she waited she turned her camera on herself, and posed for Yang who was taking mirror selfies. They took several hundred selfies each on their scrolls, but not all were suitable to post on Scrollmates.

"I don't like that one, my eyes look funny." There was nothing wrong with the photo at all. Yang deleted it. She could understand not wanting to keep a picture that she wasn't completely happy with, even if nothing jumped out at her to make it into a bad picture. Weiss saw it and objected, so the picture was destroyed. Weiss also insisted that she be cropped out of certain photos, ones that Yang wanted to keep because she looked good.

Yang noted the crease lines in Weiss' forehead as she scrolled through her photo album, finding imperfections in every picture and only keeping 1 in 10 out of the hundreds they created. Of the ones they kept, maybe 3% would be shared with their followers and only after being edited and filtered to shit. Weiss was meticulous with filters, she had a few favourites - all in the cooler colour spectrum plus of course, the always-classy black and white.

Yang liked bright and vibrant filters, usually summer themed and as such, they would often end up with a Frankenstein image of a decent pic of Yang and an exceptional pic of Weiss pasted together, showing a clear dichotomy between cool and warm colours. These pictures typically garnered the greatest response from their vast collection of followers. Yang couldn't help getting the giggles as she watched Weiss try to take a mirror selfie of her brand spanking new ass.

"So I noticed that you still go running. Have your times improved since you started training with me?"

Weiss chewed the inside of her cheek, but then smiled. "Yeah, definitely. I've had some of my biggest improvements in ages."

"How long have you been doing it?"

"Almost ten years."

"Whoa, seriously? What made you start?"

"I run to increase my endurance when I'm fighting."

Yang pursed her lips while she thought of a way to put this delicately. "I don't know how to explain this, fighting's like a whole different beast to endurance running, so you know, sometimes it's about toughness and heart, as well as stamina. You've been running that whole length of time, and you never once stopped to think whether it actually worked?"

"It did work, otherwise I would never be able to keep up with you guys."

"Don't take this the wrong way, you're a good fighter, Weiss, but your conditioning sucks. How much running do you actually do in a fight? Running for a long distance is a different kind of endurance, mostly of my boredom threshold. Fighting is constant varied movement, and bursts of power at high speed. Lasting a long time in a fight takes a different type of training, actually a mix of a few training styles."

"You better be leading somewhere with this, Xiao Long."

"How about today, instead of leg day, we'll do some high intensity intervals. They're so good, the fat just melts away."

Weiss' eyes dropped down to Yang's badonkadonk butt stretching the resilient fabric of her leggings, then she stared longingly at Yang's svelte midsection, her waist couldn't have been more than 24 inches in diameter. "Shouldn't we focus on one goal at a time? Although, fat melting does sound appealing."

Yang laughed nervously. "Yeah, we should stick to one thing at a time. So, what would you like more, getting big or getting lean?"

Weiss ran her eyes over Yang's body one more time. "I wanna be like you."

Yang grinned from ear to ear. "Big and lean. That's what I like to hear." She walked them both over to one of the reinforced platforms, and straightened up the bar that was already loaded with 20kg on either side. Yang made use of the large bowl of flour-like dust that was sat on a pedestal to one side of the rectangle.

"Are we going to do some baking?"

"No. But it does involve buns of steel." Hmmm, that would be a good caption for a direct shot of Yang's behind. Weiss made a mental note of that and the form of the deadlift was giving Weiss ideas on how to pose Yang for the picture. Many people had requested a photo like this and they were keen to give their hungry fans their pound of flesh. With Yang warmed up, she invited Weiss to have a go. Yang let her get on with it, without any instruction, she remembered the movement quite well for the most part. Unfortunately, her technique was shoddy and there was hardly any tension throughout her body in order to lift correctly. Yang folded her arms and shook her head, Weiss fell far short of her usual perfection.

"Seriously, you need to squeeze your ass and tense your legs the whole way down. The aim is to make you walk like someone's slipped something in your backdoor. Speaking of which, just out of interest, have you ever, you know, been there?"

"Ew, no."

"Oh. So your asshole is uncharted territory."

"Yes, and it's going to stay that way. Permanently."

"You seem pretty positive about that. How do you know you won't like it?"

"Because it's my asshole! It's strictly exit only. I have a perfectly good vagina, which is, you know, made for sex."

"So? Anal feels great too. I love anal sex, just saying."

"Doesn't it hurt though?"

"Spoken like a true anal virgin. Sure it hurts, if you have no idea what you're doing. It's pretty much a given that it's going to hurt going in, especially the first time."

"You're not really selling the idea to me very well."

"So, you'd consider it?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Aren't you in the least bit curious?"

"I'm sorry, it's never interested me. All the boys who tried to get me to do it, only wanted it because it's what I didn't want. It always felt like they wanted to take something from me."

"All the boys? How many we talking here?" Yang said, licking her lips and then biting her bottom lip. Weiss' eyes widened, she knew she had given too much away. "You should try it, you know, just once." Yang saw the spark of intrigue light behind Weiss' eyes. Yang quickly checked her lips, Weiss was biting hers so Yang grinned before continuing in a low seductive voice, "It feels good, you know. To have both your holes filled at the same time, stretched to the max, is a feeling like no other. Obviously, you wouldn't jump straight to that, you'd have to take it nice and slow. Once you try it, you'll never go back."

Yang was goading her, and doing an extremely good job of it. Yang's mouth spread into her cheesy, annoying smirk as she saw how flustered Weiss was getting. They were quite used to winding each other up sexually, they teased until it got right under the strict professor's normally thick skin. One side of it was to be purposefully disobedient, Goodwitch had told them many times to can it, keep their incessant chatter to themselves and that their making goo-goo eyes at each other was blatantly noticeable and disgusting. Another smaller part, was that they were sure that it was annoying her that they turned her on a little bit.

Their little game spilled over into the rest of their lives, so they kept having moments where they were both up for it and raring to go, but something held them back. The sexual tension between them was palpable. Weiss was impressed with her own self-control, as well as Yang's, although maybe Yang felt like she had a point to prove.

It did not take a genius to figure out that not being allowed out in the evenings was giving Yang cabin fever. Weiss would've been more than happy using their time to study in the dorm or in the library, but she let Yang drag her everywhere around campus, trying to find something to entertain them. Recording and broadcasting their adventures searching high and low for something to do, always seemed more fun than the activity that they eventually settled on anyway.

Ruby was stung, feeling left out, as she came home one night to a very empty dorm and no texts or explanations as to where her team had gone. It all started the first night of the new rules; Yang and Weiss wanted to sit up all night and complain about the unfairness of the curfew and the rudeness of getting caught breaking it. Ruby managed to coax them towards sleep and Yang found her sheets crumby and greasy from their meal in bed. The words 'I told you so' never came out of Weiss' mouth, but she let Yang know in snake words that she definitely knew this would happen and she was right all along. Yang caught a glance from Ruby, and purposefully avoided eye contact. Weiss wordlessly invited her to share with her, and that was the first time that Ruby felt her bond with Yang weaken.

She no longer had a choice, she did not want to have to do this, but it was high time that she disrupted the newly-formed sleeping arrangements. Yang and Weiss could no longer use the excuse that they were together all the time on Goodwitch's orders, it was long overdue, but their punishment had come to an end. So Ruby sat and watched them go off to do fun things without her. Blake was shit company because she was either texting her other friends or out with them and not around at all. Ruby got down-ranked from leader to annoying mosquito, and hardly noticed until her friends had basically stopped talking to her. Tonight, she intended to put her foot down and tell Yang that it was ridiculous to share a single bed with Weiss, when there was a perfectly good bed with fresh, clean linen right over there.

When it came to it, Ruby did not have the balls to say that as she watched Yang be extra touchy-feely with Weiss and her plump bottom that was almost exposed in the huge T-shirt she borrowed from Yang. Ruby's time to speak up was running out as Yang held up the blankets for Her Royal Highness, the Princess of Pump, and invited her to climb in first with a curtsy. Ruby had to clear her throat to get their attention.

"Yang, can I bunk with you tonight? I'm not feeling well."

Yang turned on her heel, dropping the blanket. "Awww, sis. I hope you're not getting sick, it's that midterm in a few days. You need to be at 100% for that." Yang pressed the back of her hand against Ruby's forehead and checked the temperature under Ruby's chin. "You are kind of warm."

"No, I'm not _sick_ sick." She was, however, pretty sick of being left out of everything. "I don't feel like- I mean, I'm just-" Ruby tried to bluff but eventually sighed. "I really don't wanna be alone tonight."

Yang frowned, she distinctly remembered her sister not wanting to be called a baby because she used to cry hysterically until Yang cuddled her to sleep. She honestly had not asked to share a bed with Yang in over seven years, but there were still nights when she would wander into Yang's room to find her favourite blonde cuddly bear. "What's really going on, sis? You're acting way shady."

Sharing a bed with Yang was not Ruby's main goal right now, all she wanted was for Yang not to sleep with Weiss. "I don't wanna get nightmares again," she whispered so quietly that Yang could barely hear.

Yang's features dropped the concern and darkened with incredulity. Yang shrugged and lifted the covers again. "Ruby, you're too old to be scared of nightmares. Aren't you supposed to be our fearless leader?"

"Yang! I'm really scared."

"Oh, all right then. Just for one night though, ok?"

That cheered her up a treat. "Yup, yup. You got it."

Yang gave her a leg up to get in bed and then followed her up. Ruby cocooned herself in Yang's blankets, but she still shivered despite the warm. The moment that Yang slid under the covers with her, she relaxed and leaned back. Yang inwardly sighed and put a protective arm around her, feeling Weiss' icy eyes boring two holes in the back of her head. She heard the heiress tut as she climbed into her own cold bed, and shut off her light. Blake put her book on the side and switched off her light too so that the room's only source of light were the moonbeams cast through the crack in the curtains.

Ruby began to shake again, and tried to push herself closer to Yang.

"What's wrong, Ruby? You're really scared, huh?"

"Uh huh," she said, teeth chattering. She was frightened, Yang was so close but still so distant. She was supposed to have her sister back, so they could go back to normal, but she wasn't sure that she liked this version of Yang any more than the last one. Ruby crossed her arms over her chest and hugged herself tightly. Yang was unable to soothe her just with touch so she hummed the lullaby that Summer used to sing to them at bedtime. It had been so long since she had heard it herself that she did not know the words anymore, but the melody haunted her when she closed her eyes for sleep. It wasn't a sad tune, she remembered at least that the song was about warm, summer mornings full of bright sunshine, but if she heard it again in full, it would probably make her cry. Ruby had no such negative connotation with it, she told Yang it made her feel at home. Yang was glad she was able to provide this for Ruby.

Yang waited patiently for her sister's breathing to become calm, before she edged away slowly. She only began to crawl out of bed when she was completely sure that Ruby was asleep, indicated by her quiet snores. Once asleep, Ruby was like a log, but Yang still employed all the stealth tactics she knew to cross the room to get to Weiss' bunk. She bent over to see if Weiss was asleep too. Weiss rolled over with alarming speed and Yang hit her head on Ruby's top bunk in shock.

"Get in," she commanded, holding up the cover. Yang obeyed, and spooned Weiss closely. "I almost thought you weren't coming."

"I almost didn't." Weiss grabbed Yang's arm and put it over her stomach which was getting flatter and firmer everyday, and pushed her bubble butt against Yang. For a moment there, Weiss had thought that she would have to spend the night alone. It made her realise she had been taking Yang's company for granted.

"Thank you, for being here." Weiss lightly kissed the bare shoulder that was keeping her safe.

Yang nuzzled her, which felt amazing. "Any time."

"Why did you almost not come?"

"She might be irritating, but Ruby's always good to me, it's a bit unfair of me to leave her."

"Oh, I guess you're right. You don't have to stay then, I just wanted my goodnight kiss."

Yang's breath tickled the tender skin of her neck as she chuckled. "You know I'll want to stay if I kiss you."

"It's up to you," Weiss said, sighing.

Yang sighed too. "Sorry, Ruby." She rolled Weiss on her back and climbed on top, the both of them giggling. After the first night when they were nervous and polite, they settled into a cosy little rhythm, getting into the groove until they were too horny to continue. Then they would cuddle, or sleep back-to-back with their butts touching.

"You're feeling frisky tonight." Weiss breathed hard, after Yang had nearly suffocated her. Normally, they tried to stay away from the imaginary line they had drawn between heavy petting and foreplay for as long as possible. But the way Yang moved her tongue was a dead giveaway that she was getting frustrated. Yang pushed the baggy T-shirt up around Weiss' waist and straddled her nearly bare hips. Yang let all her weight sit on Weiss' lap, her glorious glutes rubbing purposefully all over it. Their bodies were begging them to just go for it and do it. Weiss was so in need of Yang to touch her again, under her very soaked panties, the edge of which Yang would sometimes rub with her thumb. Tonight was a record amount of times that Yang was on the verge of third base. Weiss made no secret of how bad she wanted it, kissing Yang just as hard and getting her daily fill of Yang's boobs, all the squishy loveliness at Weiss' fingertips. Weiss linked their hands, if only to halt Yang's advance before she reached the wet centre filled with temptation. Yang only half-pretended to sulk.

"Why do you have to be so fucking attractive? I can't hold back anymore. It's killing me."

Weiss half-smirked. "Your sister is sleeping over there. You know we can't do anything. We won't get away with it."

"We can be quiet." Yang whispered right next to Weiss' ear, and then pleaded further with kisses down her neck. Weiss had to stop her moan halfway. "Well, I don't care if we're heard."

"But I do."

"Ruby's asleep, like she's gone. She won't be up until morning."

"I'm just saying, if Ruby wakes up now and finds out you've left her…"

Yang whined and pawed the pillow, trailing her nails down it. "I hate it that you're right."

"You should be used to it by now."

"Can you guys get a room or shut the fuck up and go to sleep?" Blake threw a pillow at Yang, but Weiss sat up to deflect it like she had practised the stunt a hundred times. Blake's night vision allowed her to see Yang's shocked but impressed face.

"You're amazing. How did you do that?"

"I saw it coming." Blake's throwing arm, even from lying prone on her back, was immensely accurate and powerful, it had to be to make full and best use of the strong ribbon that attached the two parts of her weapon. But Weiss was so smooth how she swatted it away with a lazy strike, put her face in Yang's tits and slid an arm around her tiny waist. Yang and Weiss smiled and kissed in triumph, giving Blake the finger, knowing full well she could see it in the dark. They weren't absolute jerks though, they did lie down and sleep not long after that. Especially since it was getting late and it was chest day tomorrow.

When they found out that the stringent curfew rules were being relaxed the day after next, Yang ran down the corridor outside the dorm shouting 'I'm free! I'm free!'. She reversed and came back the other way shouting 'PAR-TAY!' and waving her arms about like a hooligan, while her startled friends watched from their door. Weiss gave a perfunctory eyeroll and the same wary look that Ruby and Blake gave each other, but inwardly, she felt the same as Yang. She couldn't wait to go out with Yang again, they discussed it everyday. What they would do, where they would go, how they would dress.

Weiss was more nervous about going clubbing with Yang, than she was about the upcoming test that would determine the future of her academic career, but had remained always in the back of her mind, while they did a variety of 'fun' things, the majority of which were not studying. The day of the test rolled around, feeling like it had arrived way before it was due. Weiss could read all the signs that Yang was just as worried, but she covered it up with bravado. Yes, Goodwitch had schooled them hard during her stint as their wicked taskmaster, so they did obviously get some work done. But they extended their free time by missing the start and then the whole of lectures, and started to avoid schoolwork in favour of chilling and taking selfies. Though the two essay question exam was daunting, Weiss was pretty confident in her performance, and she believed Yang when she said that it was nowhere near as bad as she had imagined. Their fingers, sore and stiff from hand writing 2,000 words in under two hours, linked together in relief after the exam was over. It seemed that their friends had the same struggle and triumph moments as they did, so that further reassured them that they did fine.

Yang's arm shot up in victory. "Tonight, we celebrate. We totally deserve it." Weiss wholeheartedly agreed.

Weiss had been lucky, she'd had multiple weeks to plan, order, customise, and test wear the outfit she had pictured in her mind the next time Yang saw her all dressed up. What she failed to plan for, was how drop dead gorgeous Yang looked when scrubbed up in a white sparkly dress and matching glittered heels. Her makeup was fresh and natural, and she had even deigned to run a comb through her hair in an effort to control it. Yang told Weiss she looked beautiful, Weiss could only breathe loudly through her mouth for a bit before beckoning Yang with her scroll for a selfie. They were more excited than could possibly be for teenage girls, which was saying a lot. Their cab arrived exactly on the dot, even though Weiss made the driver wait out of principle. Everything was going swimmingly until they got to the front doors.

The bouncer checked his clipboard for less than a second, before declaring, "you're not coming in, you're barred."

Yang stupidly checked behind her. "Who, me?"

"No, her. She's barred, and you're on your last warning." The bouncer pointed a fat finger towards Weiss, and then aimed it right between Yang's eyes. Yang went cross-eyed watching his fingertip come closer.

Her head swerved out of his path, and she pointed her fully extended finger right back at him. "What the fuck, dude? How is any of what happened last time her fault? You were outside, you heard everything."

"Not my decision, sorry luv."

"Just let us in, we swear we'll be good."

"I can't do that."

"Come on, stop messing around. Pretty please?" Politeness was probably the first thing she should've tried. She squeezed her boobs together and fluttered her eyelashes for extra persuasion power.

Regardless, the bouncer shook his head. "Sorry, but no."

"Do you know who I am? Can I speak to the manager?" Weiss' request was ignored.

"Stop being a fucking prick, and let us in." Yang tried to push her way past, but the bouncer was a lot heavier than her, and quite immovable.

"If you start getting lairy, I'll have you barred as well. I heard about what you did to Junior's bar. Now pipe down. I suggest you go cause trouble somewhere else."

Yang narrowed her eyes at the jobsworth. He had always been friendly with her in the past even though he was aware of what she got up to in the alleyway around the corner, she was furious with him for changing his attitude towards her.

Weiss shivered uncomfortably at the growing animosity between Yang and this brute of a man. "Come on, Yang, let's go. Standing out here arguing is pointless."

"No, this ain't right. You didn't do anything wrong. She got attacked from behind, why is she the one who's barred?"

"All you rich bitches are the same, you think the rules don't apply to you. I don't care who you are, little missy, you'll get treated the same as everyone else. She brought the pigs to our doorstep and she was carrying Class A drugs, is that reason enough for you?"

"Hey, fuck you. Everybody's at it. Take a look at your surveillance footage, she's hardly the worst one. You're on a power trip because you think you're some kind of authority, when you're just a fucking doorman, a piece of shit at the bottom of the food chain. Get a fucking life."

"That's it. You're not welcome here anymore. Now get lost. Next!" His heavy arm that was blocking their way swept them aside with virtually no effort.

Yang growled, enraged, and swung her fist back. Weiss used her quick reflexes, and grabbed Yang's attack arm and whirled her around to face her. "Leave it. We need to go. Now."

"But he disrespected you and I won't allow it." Yang's eyes had already turned, and her brow was crinkled in fury, and her white-knuckled fists tensed and ready to attack.

"The last thing we need is to start another fight." Weiss touched Yang's arms. Some of the tension in Yang's muscles dissipated.

"I oughta knock his fucking lights out."

"Yang, please." Weiss curled her hand around Yang's elbow and dragged her away, finally escaping the volatile situation. "Please don't get yourself arrested again on my account."

Yang sighed heavily and her rigid body sagged in surrender. "Fine. What do you wanna do instead then?"

"I don't feel like being out anymore."

"You wanna go back home? But we only just got here," Yang whined, looking down at her outfit that was otherwise going to go to waste.

"I saw a liquor store a couple blocks back. Let's get some wine and take it back with us so we can drink, do whatever we like in the comfort of our own home."

Yang began to protest, but Weiss held up a solitary finger in warning. Yang shook her head but agreed with Weiss anyway. "Ok, fine! But I won't forget that idiot who ruined our night."

"It's not ruined. We can have loads of fun by ourselves. You'll see."

Weiss was glad to discover that their dorm was empty when they arrived, arms weighed down with plastic bags that clinked as they walked. Ruby was at her weapons club meeting and Blake was god knows where, but it wasn't here. Yang put down her bags and kicked off her heels next to Blake's bed to sit down. She extracted a beer bottle from one of the bags and took the cap off with her teeth.

"You're still mad about the bar, aren't you?"

Yang gave her a steely look as she glugged the whole beer in one go. She burped afterwards. "I don't know why you're not mad. It's not fair."

"It's just a shitty bar, I'll live."

Yang felt a bit betrayed. It may have been a shitty bar but it was _her_ shitty bar, and now she wasn't allowed back there. "My friends are gonna wonder what's happened to me."

"They're nice guys, I'm sure they'd go somewhere else if you invited them." Weiss sat down next to Yang. "Are you gonna sulk the whole night?"

Yang had been planning on doing exactly that, but there was no excuse for acting like an immature little brat. The bouncer was no longer ruining their night as Yang was doing a good enough job of it by herself. She kissed her teeth. "Sorry," she grumbled. A perceptible emptiness of sound filled every corner of the room.

Weiss got to her feet. "This is no good, we need some tunes."

Yang jumped up and won the race to the sound system. "I got it." Yang didn't trust Weiss' taste in music; she had never heard of The Achieve Men when they first met, and she didn't see what all the fuss was about when Yang made her listen to the songs she had picked for the disco part of the Vytal Festival dance last year. Besides, Yang had been the one going out to the clubs, hearing the latest dance music, and downloading all the best songs.

Weiss let her fiddle with the speakers while she got out one of the wine bottles to read the label. "What are we going to drink this in?"

"Erm..." Yang hadn't thought of that. "Cups?"

"Helpful."

"Well, this was your idea. I'm good with beer."

"That beer is for when we're already drunk. It's basically liquid food, it'll sober us up when we wanna call it a night."

Yang had never used beer to sober up before, quite the opposite in fact. "Are you suggesting that we're gonna drink all this by ourselves?"

"Yeah, why not?"

Yang gave her a penetrating stare. Why shouldn't they drink all of it? First of all, there was a lot of alcohol and Yang didn't believe they had time to drink it. Second of all, it might kill them if they did. Yang was going to get the smallest damn cups she could possibly find. "Because, reasons. I'll run downstairs and grab something from the cafeteria," she said, pulling on her boots; they didn't match her dress but whatever.

"Get an ice bucket if you can."

Yang rolled her eyes as she left in a hurry. "Ice bucket, pfft."

"I heard that!"

Yang ran for her life. Down in the cafeteria, she received some funny looks for being dressed to the nines and wearing her combat boots. She had to sheepishly ask a member of staff if they had anything suitable for drinking wine. She knew Weiss would be pleased with her when the staff member returned from the kitchen with a silver ice bucket and two glasses which were normally used for big events. She promised very sincerely that she would bring them back, safe and unharmed.

"Only you could bring a bucket up with no ice." was Weiss' first comment upon her return.

"You're the fucking Ice Queen, bitch. Twirl your fingers and sort it out."

"Twirl your fucking fingers," Weiss repeated in a mocking sing-song. She took the bucket anyway, and worked her magic on it. It was now lined with a thick layer of crystal-clear ice. Weiss popped the first bottle with flair, using Myrtenaster, and after filling the two glasses, placed the bottle into the glyph ice. Yang tapped the scroll docked in the stereo, finding the song she wanted and pressed play. Weiss presented her with some bubbling champagne and clinked their glasses.

"Cheers." They bopped their heads along to the music, and let grins of euphoria form on their lips as they drank bubbly. The stereo automatically shuffled the playlist to the next track, some song about hoes dancing on poles with a dirty bassline, exactly the type of song that one would expect Yang to have on her playlist. Some of the lyrics were so ridiculously filthy and how the artist took himself way too seriously, it made Weiss want to laugh. She could not take her eyes off Yang's slowly swaying and rhythmically gyrating hips.

"Where did you learn to dance like that?"

"Learn? I just dance, I don't really know what I'm doing."

"You're really good at it."

"Want me to teach you?" Yang pulled Weiss to her feet, and began to wind her hips and spin to show Weiss all the angles. Weiss inwardly cringed in embarrassment when Yang expected her to copy the movement, but she glanced over to to the third wine bottle that was already half empty and did it anyway. "That's not bad at all, you're already getting the hang of it."

"Show me again."

"Here, like this." Yang stepped behind Weiss, directing Weiss' butt onto her crotch.

A bottle and a half later, Weiss was genuinely surprised at how long they had been touching and not kissed. This was the final boss level of their little game, they were alone now. All alone, and very horny. They were basically dry humping, although there was, admittedly, a tremendous amount of wetness involved. Yang was 100% ready to forfeit and lose, when the strap of Weiss' dress slipped down her shoulder. She almost kissed her on her newly built traps, but she stopped herself at the last moment and merely took a deep breath of Weiss' addictive perfume.

"Go on, touch me." Weiss whispered as Yang's hands inched closer and closer to her butt. "You want me, I can tell."

"I'm waiting for you to kiss me."

Weiss could not hide her blatant arousal, but leaned up to sigh gently in Yang's ear. "No way."

"What's the matter, need another drink first?" Yang licked her lips, and Weiss involuntarily did the same.

"Can you handle another drink?"

"Can you handle me?" The lewd daydreams that had plagued Weiss for months were ignited by Yang's tempting words, like a trail of gasoline lit by a dropped match. As the sparks hit the payload, Weiss couldn't help her vulnerable moan as many of her sexual delusions about Yang came to a head all at once.

"You want me," Yang purred, "you can't keep your hands off me." Yang felt the cheeky fingers that were resting on the shelf of her squat butt retreat to the far safer area of her lower back. She grabbed Weiss' wrists and placed her hands smack dab in the middle of each buttcheek. Weiss didn't know if that was breaking the rules of their game, but she felt all her reservations melt away and moaned through closed lips, inwardly begging Yang to take the initiative and save her from this torture.

Yang laughed softly with her nose pressed into Weiss' fringe. "How much longer do you think you can wait?"

"I was over waiting like half an hour ago. But I can last as long as you can."

Yang, adamant that she could put that to the test and come out top, dissolved into a puddle as Weiss managed to press herself closer, knowing full well that her braless chest was right up against Yang's so their nipples could finally meet. "I know it's me you want, but will you say it out loud?"

Weiss gulped as her vision filled with nothing but Yang. "I do want you, you're so fucking sexy. You're making me so fucking wet." The moment she said that, and squeezed Yang's butt, her pussy got so much wetter.

Hearing Weiss talk like that, in that breathy, husky voice, almost made Yang cum right there. Yang forced a kiss on her, letting everything go and her urgency made her clash lips a bit harder, but Weiss matched her passion at every turn. Yang entangled her fingers in Weiss' hair, and tugged on it in a hard, but pleasurable, tension that made Weiss gasp. The wild, untamed Yang who came home drunk with smudged lipstick and eyeliner that Weiss had lusted over for so many months had finally awakened. Weiss felt that sweet ache intensify as Yang trailed kisses down her neck, and as her crotch was pressed up against Yang's, she could feel that her underwear was soaked through.

Weiss turned and lifted her hair so that Yang could unzip her dress. When she turned back, Yang had removed her own as well to reveal that she was going commando. The dress that Weiss was wearing was on the ground next to Yang's, she confidently stepped out of it and presented her body wearing only the fanciest lace underwear that she owned and her newest pair of fabulous heels. Yang gave her the up-and-down and then her eyes lit up. It pleased Weiss greatly to know that Yang found her body appealing. Weiss only had a second to appreciate the glorious sight that is Yang naked, before their lips locked and Yang picked her up and wrapped those slender, flawless legs around her.

Yang walked over to Weiss' bed, never once breaking their loud, sloppy kiss. Weiss had to check that she wasn't dreaming, because she'd definitely had realistic detailed fantasies about this exact situation. There was no need to pinch herself; Yang touching her, Yang completely naked, Yang's mouth on hers, Yang's tongue stroking her own, the wetness of Yang's sweat against her skin, the scent of Yang's cunt, the desire to taste her, it was all wreaking havoc on Weiss. Yang gently deposited Weiss on the bed.

Weiss took one of Yang's nipples into her mouth, looking up at Yang's gorgeous face as her fingers toyed with Yang's pulsating hot pussy. She flicked her long hair over her shoulder, keeping her eyes fixed on Weiss as she kissed every inch of Yang's generous chest, and slid her slender digits across Yang's slit. Weiss was beside herself with how wet Yang was for her.

"Oh my god, tense," she said, running her clean fingers through the grooves of Yang's six pack. Yang forced all the air inside out through her nose and mouth. She wound the muscles in her core so tight that a few blood vessels burst in her eyes. Her skin took on the appearance of cling film over her blocks of veiny, grainy abs. There were lines on Yang's abdomen showing definition that Weiss had never seen before on a woman, especially one as sexy as Yang. "Wow. Seriously, everything about you is very wow." Much core, so definition, very six pack. Wow.

Yang smiled deliriously at the simply worded compliment. Weiss was giggling at her own lovestruck idiocy as she kissed the deep ab crack in the centre, all the way down past Yang's bellybutton to Yang's very wet, juicy pussy.

This was it, the moment that Weiss had been waiting for. Her first taste of cunt. Not just any cunt, Yang's cunt. The one she thought about incessantly when she touched herself. Weiss trembled with nerves, then Yang put her leg up on the edge of the bed, opening herself up for Weiss, inviting her to stick her face right in there. Weiss did just that, tongue first. Yang couldn't control the sound that came from her mouth. Weiss' tongue rocked her world, setting every nerve ending alight. Yang tipped her head back, she was panting now. Her legs were basically jelly already by this point so she stretched one arm up to hold onto the top bunk, and used the other hand to hold Weiss' hair out of the way.

Weiss buried her tongue and face deeper into Yang's pussy. It was unreal to have her head between Yang's legs, licking and kissing her most intimate place. All the pleasure that Yang had given her in her dreams, felt so good to unload it by licking Yang's clit and making her yelp and moan. Weiss split Yang's lips apart, scraping her teeth over the soft pink flesh, followed by her tensed wet tongue. The taste of Yang filled her mouth and nose, so lewd, so filthy, so very human. Weiss couldn't help smiling, as she heard how desperate Yang's moans got when she slid her index finger into Yang's slit. She kissed Yang's clit the way she kissed her mouth earlier, roughly with wild abandon.

Yang began to sweat profusely as the orgasm within her was building to breaking point. Yang let out a high-pitched squeal as Weiss' tongue probed her much deeper than before, her legs could barely hold her up. Weiss put her hands underneath Yang's ass, grabbing it and raking her fingers over it. Yang's fingers clenched in Weiss' hair, and she pressed her pussy harder against Weiss' mouth.

"You taste so good." Weiss smacked her lips and smirked. "I'm a fan."

"When do I get to taste you?"

"Not now," Weiss purred, pushing Yang to her bed. "Lie down, I'm not done with you yet."

Grinning, Yang lay back on the bed and, keeping her knees bent, opened her legs as far as they could go, giving Weiss full access to whatever part of her pussy that she wanted. Weiss dropped to her knees, panting in excitement. There was so much of Yang she wanted to kiss, but she went straight for the glistening wet centre at the apex of her thighs. Her tongue licked all over Yang's lips, and her mouth couldn't stop smiling as she did so. She loved to hear Yang hiss when she used her teeth, and shriek loudly whenever Weiss gave special attention to her clit. Yang pushed the bangs out of her face, and their eyes met and locked for a moment.

A bubble of eternity trapped them inside that moment, and they never wanted it to end. It was so simple, this is what Yang wanted to see everyday for the rest of her life. It no longer mattered how they ended up in this situation, or the fact that they were quite drunk right now. There was nothing outside of here, only the two of them, connected so deeply by physical intimacy, that their spirits intertwined. Yang had never felt anything like this before, Weiss was part of her being now, buried deep inside her consciousness. There was no going back, not that she wanted to. She couldn't bear to lose this feeling, it felt _so good_. So damn good that their bubble popped.

Weiss watched closely as Yang came all over her bed. She put her fingers in just as more liquid came squirting out. She pumped a few more times, giving Yang's clit a good lick. Yang was in pure ecstasy, this was the hardest and longest she had ever cum. Weiss kept her high on the edge for a minute, two at most, but it felt like another eternity as she rode the waves of pleasure. Weiss crawled up to her lips, kissing her nipples and breasts on the way up because they were so beautiful.

"Do you know how long I've wanted to do that to you?" Weiss glanced smugly to the shiny, wet mess she had caused between Yang's legs.

"A while, by the looks of it." Yang smiled as Weiss licked her lips. Yang yanked on Weiss' arm, and the shorter girl flopped on top of Yang, shrieking with coy laughter. Weiss tried to sit up to ride Yang's hips, but the back of her head hit the wooden slats on the bottom of Ruby's bunk. "Shit, you ok?" Weiss nodded. "Maybe we should take this to my bed, there's more room."

Weiss savoured the few steps they took across the room, as Yang was in front of her leading her by the hand, because she could watch Yang's naked ass as she walked. They were at the bed already when she noticed. "Shit! We left the door open the whole time. Do you think anyone saw what we were doing?"

"I think we got away with it, to be honest. There's no one there now. Come on."

Yang held her waist, as if she was lifting a ballerina, and placed her so she was seated on the edge. "I love how you can lift me up and it's not even a thing for you."

"After what you just did to me, trust me, that was definitely a thing. Now get naked." Yang covered Weiss' hands that were unstrapping her heels. "Except those, I like it with the shoes on." Yang said as she smoothly hopped up to join her.

Weiss' eyes flicked downwards to her toes, nails pedicured to within an inch of their lives, painted an enticing shade of glossy red, peeking out of the open-toed shoe. They did look very attractive in the shoes that cost more than what most people earned in a month. Weiss grinned at Yang's good taste in shoes, safe to say it was better than her taste in music. Yang lifted her legs straight up in the air, peeling away her sparkling crystal-covered thong, so she could see her fine ass as she revealed her cunt. She had to pause and simply admire the perfect pink pussy before her, it was so neat and cute, apt for its prim and proper owner. Yang spread the girl's legs like smooth peanut butter. She manipulated the mound, pulling the hood back, but leaving the sensitive, quivering inner folds alone. She had to stop again so she could smile.

"What are you waiting for?"

Yang cocked an eyebrow. That made her want to tease Weiss even more. Biting her lower lip, she traced patterns with her fingers around Weiss' breasts, down her midriff, and just shy of Weiss' wet snatch. She ran a hand along the length of Weiss' stretched out thigh, watching her slit twitch in anticipation. Weiss hissed softly as she gasped for breath and every muscle in her body reacted to the tiniest movements Yang made. Yang brought her face level with Weiss' cunt, and noted with pleasure how Weiss writhed to get her hips closer to her mouth. Yang had to hold her down with considerable force. She was barely an inch away, surrounded by Weiss' intoxicating scent, her warm breath tickling Weiss' nether region.

"Yang, please. You're driving me crazy."

Juices dripped out of Yang at Weiss' use of her name. She leaned in to lightly kiss Weiss' inner thighs, kissing all around except where Weiss begged to be licked. Yang took her sweet time about it too, she wanted Weiss gagging for it. She wasn't sure how much more the panting girl could take, but on the other hand, she wanted to find out. "Please what?" Yang, feeling cocky as fuck, locked eyes with Weiss, as her tongue flicked out, and grazed Weiss' swollen, throbbing clit for a split second.

Weiss shrieked and jerked wildly at the contact, and lost what little control she had left. Her legs opened wider. "Oh fuck, fucking taste me, I want your tongue inside me. I want you to lick my clit and fuck me with your fingers."

Expecting Weiss to be coy, Yang blushed despite the position she was in. "As you wish, Princess." she said with a smug smile. Yang kissed her way up Weiss' leg once again, on a path to her pussy, but she breezed over it casually, and teased her inner thigh with her lips. She smirked as Weiss balled the sheet into her fist. Yang's tongue traced over the creases of Weiss' thighs, as close to her cunt as she could get without actually licking it, and then kissed her up and down those lines too. Weiss' little pussy was visibly throbbing, her heart was playing a mad rhythm, conducted by Yang's torturous, unsatisfying stimulus. She was moaning already, begging Yang to fuck her, to lick her, to touch her. She craved release. But Yang got her more worked up with every kiss not on the lower lips.

"Just fuck me, hurry up, I need you to fuck me 'cos I'm so horny, please. Fuck me like a slut." Weiss grabbed a fistful of Yang's hair and yanked her head into her dripping, parted cunt. Yang's instinct to protect her beloved hair kicked in, she growled and her eyes flashed red, but Weiss' filthy mouth made her jaw drop. She tasted Weiss' clit, and bit it softly, while the fingers holding Weiss' tensed legs apart dug deep into the flesh. She thought Weiss knew better than to mess with her hair but when she saw the smirk on Weiss' face and felt the slender digits twisting around her blonde locks, she knew that this was Weiss' idea of playful.

"Holy shit, Weiss, you kinky fucker." Yang gripped the wrist that was in her hair tight like a barbell, and squeezed until Weiss let go. Weiss tried to shake her arm free, but Yang restrained her firmly. Weiss flopped limply as Yang extended her tongue, spread Wiess' lower lips apart, and slid her hard tongue into Weiss' sopping wet cunthole. She lashed her tongue about, lapping at the liquid gushing out, keeping her eyes fixed on Weiss' face the entire time, watching the telltale signs of euphoria. Yang withdrew her tongue and swirled it around Weiss' clit, around the soft folds and suckled on the bud, breathing hard through her nose, getting drunk on Weiss' scent.

"Put your fingers in my cunt, I want to feel you inside me."

Yang was not one to disobey orders so pressed the tip of her tongue directly on Weiss' clit, as her finger slid into her hole as easily as the first time. "Oh my god, you're so fucking turned on. Weiss, your pussy is so fucking juicy." Her tongue soaked up more liquid, as Yang twisted the finger inside her sweet pink pussy. Weiss was enjoying it so much that she begged Yang to go deeper, and stretch her with another finger.

"Fuck yeah, Yang, give it to me. Fuck my little pussy, quicker, right there. I'll be such a dirty bitch for you, just fuck me _harder_." Weiss' moan echoed around the room and probably through the door and down the hall as well. "You're making me cum, I'm so close. Your tongue, oh yeah," Weiss moaned. "Fuck me."

Her dirty talk was blowing Yang's mind. Was this girl spread-eagled in front of her, demanding to be licked out, the very same Weiss Schnee, the quick-tempered, cold-hearted bitch, who hadn't shown the slightest bit of interest in Yang for the entire year that they'd known each other? This time last month, Yang would have never believed that her hot mouth would be servicing Weiss' gorgeous, sweet pussy. She seriously could not get over how perfect it was. That and the colourful language currently pouring from the presumptively straight-laced heiress.

Weiss was now enslaved to Yang, sinful noises leaking from her mouth. She was shameless, giving Yang orders to fuck her deeper, harder, faster, working Yang into a frenzy. She moaned into Weiss' drenched snatch, the vibrations making Weiss tremble. Yang smiled as she was enlightened with a new way to excite Weiss but she was unsatisfied with the throaty moans she was making. She wanted to hear Weiss scream. She wiggled her tongue inside Weiss' tight hole again and rubbed her clit with a thumb to speed things along. Success, Weiss writhed violently, hands scrunching sheets, moans increasing in volume and her legs were clamped around Yang's head.

Weiss was close to peaking. Her hair was adhered to her with sweat, and her breaths were short, chest heaving up and down. All she could focus on was Yang's tongue, it felt so good, so much better than anything ever. She was rushing, like she was coming up on a powerful narcotic, and her mouth was unable to form anymore words, only moans and the occasional elongated outburst of 'fuck'. Her eyes were screwed shut, all she could see were stars. Yang could tell from the way Weiss' legs jerked and the way her arms tensed that she was deep in the throes of a brain-scrambling orgasm, but Weiss let her know with the filthiest dirty talk Yang had ever heard, and all the other people on their floor knew about it, too.

Yang crawled back up to her lips, her face wet and shiny with Weiss' juices, and engaged her in a series of sloppy, messy kisses. "You talk dirty."

Weiss giggled. "Do I? I hadn't noticed."

Her pussy was begging for more attention, and Yang obliged her by toying with her swollen clit, teasing her wet folds until Weiss' hips rolled against Yang's hand, swallowing the finger to the knuckle. Yang added another finger and pumped with a steady rhythm like the filthy lyrics they were fucking to, teasing her, sliding her wet, sticky fingers up Weiss' cunt. Yang moved away from her lips, kissing her all the way down her neck and up to her earlobe, which she nibbled gently. "The way you talk drives me crazy," she whispered. "It's so fucking hot. Just like you."

Weiss gulped and let out a sigh as Yang assaulted her clit with her slippery fingers. She plunged them inside her and out again hurriedly, and held her sticky digits up for Weiss to see. She took a finger in her between her lips and sucked the juice off. Weiss sat up to join her, letting Yang push her middle finger all the way into her mouth, treating it like a rock hard cock, maintaining intense eye contact throughout. Yang watched in amazement, so Weiss snaked a hand between her legs, searching for the spot that would make Yang feel just as good as she did.

Yang inhaled sharply as Weiss plied her lush pussy with her small fingers, and all her muscles clenched when Weiss glanced over the insanely sensitive bundle of nerves of her clit. Weiss pressed it hard and pinched it, twiddling it between her thumb and forefinger, making Yang cry out and veins pop all over her sweaty skin. Weiss knew instantly that she wanted Yang to do that again.

"Would you like to cum, Yang?" she said, fingering Yang's sopping entrance provocatively, "Because I'd like to fuck your brains out."

It was no use to protest; what Weiss wants, Weiss gets. And Yang was curious to find out what she could do. Yang only moaned as Weiss dived straight in with two fingers, the ball of her hand rubbing against Yang's clit. Yang's hips began to rock in rhythm immediately, grinding into Weiss' hand. Weiss took that as a resounding yes.

Yang returned her licked and sucked clean fingers to Weiss' pussy, so she could mirror the pleasure she was receiving. The both of them were furiously fingerfucking the other, and kissing with unbridled passion, stoking the fires of arousal with each thrust. Their tongues slipped seamlessly between their mouths, but Weiss leaned out of the kiss as her back arched, reaching the culmination of all Yang's hard work. The screams that Yang had been waiting for were abundant and excessive and Yang relished every single one. The dopey smile that Weiss had after the second orgasm took Yang's breath away, a satisfied smile spreading across her own lips. They resumed their interrupted kiss but with more tenderness this time, Weiss shivering as she descended from the pinnacle of her euphoria.

Weiss raked her fingers through Yang's hair, relishing the flavour of herself in Yang's mouth. She had already decided that she wanted Yang to taste like that all the time. Yang placed her lips on the delicate skin of Weiss' neck and alternated between sucking and kissing it. The sweet pressure of Yang's mouth simultaneously tickled and hurt. Weiss' eyes burst open when she realised what Yang was doing. Weiss shoved Yang away and her open hand flew onto Yang's cheek.

"Ow!" Yang stared at her with scarlet eyes, incredulous that she had been slapped. Her mouth dried up, she couldn't speak, her mind blank, what had she done wrong? No one had ever disagreed with her sexy moves, let alone struck her physically. She reached forward to bring Weiss closer to her after she had darted away and sat on the other end of the bed. Yang was learning quickly that Weiss was no shy, submissive, virginal damsel; instead, for lack of a better term, she would be called a power bottom. Yang had never been so angry at, yet attracted to, someone in her entire life.

Yang crawled over there and they pushed and shoved each other in turn, Yang got more confused, she thought maybe Weiss was goading her into being more aggressive again, but the look on Weiss' face was livid. "You gave me a lovebite? What are you, 12?" She had tried to stop it, but Weiss was too late. A red bruise, growing in size, had already appeared on her neck. Weiss wiped off the wet traces that Yang had left behind, but the mark was going nowhere.

"You slapped me. You physically slapped me during sex, like, really hard. Wow."

"You marked my skin."

"Yeah, so? I-" Yang sighed. "I don't-" Yang growled in frustration.

"Don't what? Spit it out."

"I don't want people to look at you and think they can have you. You're mine."

"Yours? Like your-"

"Girlfriend, yeah." Yang hated herself while she did it, but she looked away from Weiss even though they were at a huge turning point in their relationship. Her long curtain of hair helped to hide how much this was an uncomfortable zone for her. The blonde was definitely sociable, and she had multitudes of friends, but she distanced herself to the extreme when it came to being tied down. It didn't suit her, she loved to share the love, and she was an exceptionally generous girl. But she had already asked the question, or implied it, or whatever. She felt so desperate when she turned back to Weiss, who was looking paler than she should be, for someone who just had a fantastic shag.

Weiss nodded quickly. "Ok." She kissed Yang to seal the deal.

"Really? That was easy."

"Yeah, now shut up. No more talking, don't ruin this." Weiss curled a hand around Yang's head and drew their lips together again. Weiss was so happy. She wanted to laugh and cry, she couldn't decide which would better express her emotions. She settled for kissing Yang with all her might, happiness beaming out of her from every direction.

Weiss' mouth watered as she sensed Yang prepare to sink down between her thighs again, but she paused throwing her hands over her mouth when her stomach growled loudly. Yang pressed her lips together, shutting them tight, but the laughter erupted anyway. Weiss winced and visibly shrunk, her blush spreading from her face down to her chest. She muttered a few choice curses, she failed to find it funny at all.

"Hungry much? Don't worry, Princess, we've got an all-you-can-eat right here." Yang waggled her eyebrows and indicated herself with a downward flick of her eyes.

Weiss' expression made it clear she was not happy. "Puns? Oh, so you're making puns now?" Weiss sat up, shifted so that she could lean against the wall and crossed her arms in a huff.

Yang scooted over to join her. "Shut up, you love my puns and you know it."

"Yeah, but, do you have to at a time like this?"

"Anytime is a good time for a pun. Don't be so moody all the time. Yang in there, I think I've got another pun coming."

"You're incorrigible." The scold fell on deaf ears.

Yang had a mischievous grin plastered across her face that no amount of reproach could remove. "Hey, Weiss, a girl walks into a bar."

"Don't do it, don't you dare." Weiss shot a loaded glare at Yang.

"And asks the barman for an innuendo." Yang made a performance of licking her lips.

"Stop right there."

"So he gave her one!"

Weiss groaned, her head falling into her hands. "Give me strength."

"Lighten up, Ice Queen. It was a joke, not a dick, stop taking it so hard." Yang tilted Weiss' face towards her. "I'm trying to make you laugh, because I like to hear it." Yang chuckled as she trailed her fingers down Weiss' arm. Weiss arched to guide Yang's hand towards her body, her eyelids falling closed when Yang found her breast. Yang dipped her head so her mouth could reach Weiss' other nipple. Weiss let out a gasp like she had been shocked with a live wire. "What do an ice cool-"

"Oh, for fuck's sake." Weiss sagged and leant back with a sigh.

"Don't be such a spoil sport. What do an ice cool beer and a hot blonde, like me, have in common?" Yang waited for Weiss to roll her eyes in exasperation before continuing with a giggle. "They both go down easy."

"You think you're really funny, don't you?"

"I can see you trying not to smile though. Wanna hear a joke about pizza? I can't tell it, it's too cheesy."

Weiss facepalmed. "That was legitimately awful, even by your standards. How about this, have you ever tried having sex while camping?"

"Yes." Yang said, unfairly heckling the heiress. She resumed her soft caresses of Weiss' skin.

"Hush, it's not a question, it's a joke." Weiss slapped away Yang's fingers. "Tch, now you've ruined it."

"Well, go on, what's the pun-chline?" Yang asked, with a cheeky smile. She wanted to say that she couldn't help it and that the floodgates were now open, but truly, it was fun to take the piss out of Weiss.

Weiss turned away in annoyance. "I'm not going to say it now. It's too late, I give up."

"Hey, Weiss," Yang snorted a bit. "What's black, white, and red all over?"

"Are you done yet? And everyone knows that one, it's a newspaper."

"Ok, ok. Just one more, then I'm done. What do you call a- No wait," Yang was laughing at her own joke before she even told it, "I've got a better one. Between the two of us, who's going to make the sandwiches?"

Weiss' brow furrowed and her eyes narrowed in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Which one of us is going to stay in the kitchen to make the sandwiches?" Yang kept doing that insufferable grin that made Weiss vexed, but, secretly, she found it hot.

They were not in a kitchen to make sandwiches, Weiss would know where to start. She had probably made about two complete non-open-faced sandwiches in her entire life. She didn't know enough about the subject of sandwich-making to comment, her quick mind could only think literally, and she wanted to berate Yang for telling such a misogynistic joke. Weiss sighed in defeat, thoroughly unenthused. "I don't know, who's going to make the sandwiches?"

"No one, we'll both eat out!" Yang winked. Weiss gave her one of her famous eye-rolls, although she had to admit that Yang's joke was kinda funny. "You, uh, kind of surprised me with that. That was really your first time?"

Weiss did a slow blink. "Yeah, it was."

"Well, dayum. That was awesome." Yang cupped her face and kissed her on the cheek.

Weiss graced her with a smile. "I did try my best. So, go on tell me, who am I up against? How many girls have you slept with before me?" Weiss gulped. Maybe she didn't want to know the answer.

"One." Yang noticed the unspoken question behind Weiss' eyes. "Blake."

Yang couldn't hide her giggles at the cartoonish jaw drop on Weiss' face after she took a moment to process that shocking information. Weiss' mind traitorously conjured images of Yang and Blake fucking like animals right where she was sitting. She repeated the name of their mysterious black-haired teammate. She had been a bit blindsided that Yang had slept with someone so close to home, and there had been no outward hint of any kind of relationship between the two of them beyond being best friends.

"You and Blake made out then." Such a stupid thing to say in such a stupid, naive voice, Weiss mentally chided herself.

"Well yeah, we didn't just jump right on each other and start bumping and grinding."

"What was she like in bed, was she good?" Was Blake better than her, was what Weiss was really asking.

"All I'm saying is that Sun is a very lucky man. She's pretty wild."

"I can't believe you slept together and no one had any idea." Only now, the questions burst forth from Weiss' lips. "What happened between you? When was this? How did you end up in bed together? You kept that quiet. How come I never knew about it?"

"Because we kept it secret by not telling anyone, duh. It was like a few days after the Vytal Festival dance, when we got back from the bomb train and all that. I don't know, it's all a bit like one big blur now, but we were pretty hyped up from that fight. Something happened, I can't remember, and then we kissed. Blake told me about something she read in a book of hers, and she was interested to find out how it felt, so we tried it out."

"She made the first move?"

"Is it really that unbelievable? You practically threw yourself into my path."

Weiss grabbed Yang's pillow and whacked her playfully. "We're not talking about us right now. Ok, so how did she ask you?"

"Kind of like, she told me about the book, and then one thing led to another. She said it was good, but not something that she would do again. I think Blake prefers dick, to be honest." And monkey tails, she finished in her head.

"So it was just a one time thing? You didn't want to sleep with her again after that?"

"Even if I had wanted to, I kinda got the impression she wouldn't have been up for it. She basically got with Sun like the day after we slept together anyway, probably to fuck the gay away."

"But I thought they didn't talk again until the tournament, they were avoiding each other."

"Yeah, I don't know how they fucked it up, but it's ok, they're sort of together now at least." Now that Yang thought about it, their little problem was probably down to her. Weiss and her quick mind had gotten there before Yang.

"It's a win-win in the end. Blake's loss is my gain." She grinned. "Does this mean that Ruby is the only one left with her virginity still intact?"

"Not since the summer."

The thought was so ridiculous that it never crossed her mind. "Jaune?" she said, gasping with a very confused look on her face.

"Yep."

"And you're ok with that? I'm only asking because, clearly, Jaune is still breathing."

"She's my little sister, of course I'm not ok with that. But I can't really talk, can I? She's gotta grow up someday, I'm just lucky she waited longer than I did and she did it with a semi-decent guy. Jaune is nice, he doesn't take advantage of people. I think she's happier than before, and that's what matters to me." Yang cleared her throat loudly to put an end that line of conversation. "So how many men have you been with, Princess? How many hands have you allowed to touch the royal booty?"

Weiss frowned in thought. When memories were as hazy as hers, all the faces blurred together. It was remarkable how similar rich fuckboys look and act, so she had to try extra hard to remember and count using her hands. Yang stared at her in disbelief as she ran out of fingers.

Yang was caught off-guard for a moment and then narrowed her eyes. "Ok, I get the point. I can't say that I'm not a little bit surprised, Weiss. You come off as kind of uptight."

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?" Weiss' indignant response was a knee-jerk reaction, but underneath, she noted Yang's honesty.

"Nothing! I was kinda looking forward to being your first, that's all."

"Full disclosure, that was my first time with a girl. I hadn't ever kissed a girl, not even drunk. I never really thought about girls in that way before, not before you."

"I can tell you've been around the block once or twice though," Yang said, taunting Weiss with a wide grin and a wink. "I must admit, Weiss, I originally thought you were so frigid, but after getting to know you a little better, and especially tonight, I stand corrected. It's not a bad thing but it does seem odd that you turned out to be much more _adventurous_ than I thought you would be, Ice Queen."

"You find it odd, because I don't act like a slut in public?" Yang hadn't seen anything yet, Weiss thought gleefully.

"Weiss, you are a completely different person when you're in the heat of the moment, some of the things you said were making me blush. You have quite a way with words."

Weiss smiled with one corner of her lips and had a roguish glint in her eyes. "Thanks, I'm pleased you think so. A lot of the boys I've been with were turned on by the fact that I was so filthy in bed, but so pure and innocent-looking to the outside world."

It would be difficult to think of Weiss as pure and innocent after what they had done. "I don't blame them. It is really sexy."

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't give the game away," Weiss said, touching the growing mark on her neck, "I do have a reputation to uphold."

"I see, wouldn't want to shatter your Ice Queen persona, eh Weiss? Imagine if people knew what lurked beneath your cold-as-ice façade. To think, the youngest daughter of the Schnee dynasty is a total tomcat in the sack." Weiss glared at her. "All right, fine. If I keep your dirty little secret, will you talk dirty to me every time we fuck?"

Weiss was ecstatic that Yang was already thinking about their next fuck, but she kept her cool. "Of course." She cleared her throat. "So aside from Blake, have you fucked anyone else from school?"

"Erm, no."

"Yang." Weiss' tone was accusatory. "Who was it?"

"Technically, Neptune doesn't go here."

"Oh my god, you slept with him as well? When was this, was it when he liked me?"

Yang hesitated, she didn't want to be caught lying again. "I think so. We kind of had a little thing, not much, he wanted to date me first, which I thought was cute. But I didn't think he was dating material, so I got him alone and… did what I'm good at."

"Oh my god, he did that exact same thing to me, Though, sadly, I fell for his bullshit." Weiss rolled her eyes. "I'm annoyed at him for being a slut. He didn't say he was seeing anyone else."

"It wasn't even worth it. He was a bit shit, to be honest. All show and no go."

"I know right, I'm so glad you said that. I was afraid it was just me, but he was so awful, I thought it might've been his first time."

"That's what I thought too." Yang giggled. "It took him a while to, you know, find it. It's kind of embarrassing when you can tell a guy has no idea what he's doing."

"Is that why you go for older guys? Because they're more experienced."

"I don't 'go for' older guys."

"You're kidding, right? Ash was what, say 15, 20 years older than you?"

"Yeah, so?" Yang's face darkened.

Weiss held her hands up in surrender. "I'm just saying! Listen, don't get all sensitive about it, I'm only trying to get to know you. His whole look I was not expecting either. So I'm guessing, he's one of a series. Were they all muscle-bound hunks?" Yang looked to the ceiling, unwilling to answer. "How many men have you slept with, really?"

"Well, let's just say I don't have enough fingers, or toes, or teeth."

Even without counting wisdom teeth, Weiss calculated that to be at least 50. "I'm hardly surprised. I'm going to assume from your vague answer that you've lost count."

Yang gave an apologetic grin. "I stopped counting after the first hundred or so."

Weiss bit her tongue for the disgusted remark she had in response to that fact, it wasn't fair to slut-shame Yang. Her recent behaviour had shown she had the maturity to want to change, and started working on respecting herself. This changed the way she modelled in her photos. Gone were her shy, downward glances, now that she changed her makeup and eyes to look fierce. Sure, she was still mostly naked but her new attitude came off as badass instead of lusty.

"That's a lot more than anyone I know." Weiss spoke in a lighthearted tone, her comment was not meant to accuse.

"Well, you know me. And now you know that I-" Yang sighed. "Is it going to be a problem?"

"No. I forgave you already. You're different now, you've got this veil of mystery thing going on, you're leaving things to the imagination. It's progress. It's very attractive, I might add." Yang couldn't help be a little surprised and blushed at Weiss' compliment. "So how come you go for older guys, Yang?"

"I do not."

"Have you ever had a boyfriend who was the same age?"

Yang pursed her lips in annoyance. Weiss did have a point. "I'm picky with guys, believe it or not. Take a good look at me, I've got bigger quads than almost every boy at this school, I could crush their skulls with these thighs if I wanted to. Finding a strong guy to fuck is hard when I'm so strong myself. I need some resistance, so little boys don't cut it for me."

"That's the most logical thing I've ever heard you say. I can't argue with that."

"Thanks, I think." Yang absentmindedly brushed a hand through her hair. She had no idea what to say, she figured Weiss would find her fetish for powerful, overly muscular men disgusting. She herself found it alarming, but the danger was too enthralling for her to ignore.

Thankfully, Weiss broke the silence to address her own insecurity. "What about me, then? Why are you attracted to me?"

"Have you seen yourself in the mirror lately? You're hot."

"Yeah, but not in the same way, not quite like you."

"I see you working hard in the gym all the time and it's working. You're doing pretty good, you know. I see the progress."

"I've still got a long way to go."

"I know and I'll help you, whatever it takes. I'll teach you everything I know about training for aesthetics. Well, and performance. And no, I don't look like this because of my semblance."

"You don't use your aura in the gym?"

"No way, my muscles wouldn't get worked if I let my aura take over. I'd be strong, yes, but on the other hand, I'd also look like Nora. Tiny, scrawny, but still able to bench press a bus. That's not to say I couldn't bench press a bus, because, believe me, I would destroy Nora in a bench competition, but I would have to cheat a bit."

"But isn't getting stronger and fitter the whole reason people go to the gym? You can't be that vain."

"Physical strength is a pretty awesome side effect. But no, the reason I go to the gym is to look sexy as fuck, naked."

"Yeah, you're better this way. Definitely. You big Meathead."

"Meathead?"

"Yeah, that can be your new nickname. Ruby's dolt or dunce, so you can be Meathead. I thought about calling you gym rat, but I figured that's too complimentary for you."

Yang reared up like a cobra ready to strike, but she had mischief in her eyes. "I think Ice Queen is far too complimentary for you, so I'm gonna call you Wino Schnee."

"Hey!" That was a little below the belt, a bit too much for light-hearted joking around.

"I'm only teasing you because I like you, Wino." Yang ruffled Weiss' sex-messy hair.

Weiss' eyes narrowed with impatience. "You are so lucky that you're so cute."

Yang chuckled gleefully. "Selfie time?" Weiss shifted to be next to Yang as she held up her scroll using the front-facing camera. They both puckered up and Yang snapped the shot. Despite only their duck-faces being in the frame, it couldn't be more obvious from the uploaded photo they just had sex, and filters only made it worse.

"Shit, don't post that. Re-take."

"Why?"

"You can see this thing." Weiss said, pointing to the side of her neck. They took a few more, going so far as to try a few shots of them kissing, but they ended up blurry and more humorous than sexy. Weiss didn't really approve of any of them, because they all included the lovebite or the side of her face that she didn't like. In the end, they had to pick one, so she begrudgingly allowed a filtered photo showing the hickey very faintly. Weiss rubbed the bruised patch of skin as it uploaded. "I'm sorry I slapped you, by the way. I shouldn't have got so angry."

"It didn't hurt."

"That's not the point."

"I can take it."

"You like pain, don't you? It excites you. Makes sense considering the semblance you were born with, how you use pain as a motivator. That's why you like big men who can be rough with you." Yang knew she was absolutely right. "Normally, I would judge you but-"

"You like pain too."

"Yes, a little bit. You sort of have to, right. Wasn't expecting the whole working out thing to be painless, but I kind of enjoy it when I wake up half-dead because I destroyed my muscles in the gym the day before." Weiss laughed. "And then getting up and doing it all over again."

Yang giggled with a big grin. "That's the spirit."

They were startled by a knock at the door. Well, the doorframe, they still hadn't bothered to close it. "Are you guys decent, because we're tired and we wanna sleep!"

Yang and Weiss grabbed the nearest coverings to hand and wrapped themselves in the sheets. "Yeah, we are."

"After you." They heard Blake hiding behind another wall.

"No, you're going in first, that was the deal. I knock and you take point." Blake and Ruby had a little arm wrestle, attempting to lead the other through the door first without going in themselves. "Can you look for one second and check they're not naked?"

"You're faster than me, you do it."

"Yeah, but you're not related to Yang!"

"Oh, for fuck's sake, you can't see anything. It's perfectly safe!" Yang yelled at them.

Ruby walked in, stumbling over something left on the floor, as she had her hand over her eyes. She peered warily through the gap in her fingers. Yang whipped off the sheet, and flashed Ruby. "OH MY GOD, MY EYES!" Yang and Weiss couldn't contain their laughs, they were almost as loud as their romp, while Ruby muttered about brain bleach and scrubbed at her eyes with tightly curled fists.

"Yeah, I was waiting for Yang to do that." Blake came in the room, giggling, and shut the door behind her.

Weiss re-wrapped herself in the sheet. "Sorry, Ruby." #NotSorry. "Yang. I'm still starving. I need to get some food in my belly."

Blake gave wry looks to both Yang and Weiss so her comedic timing was a little sluggish but her flat delivery was perfect. "Starving? You literally just ate." Everyone but Ruby cracked up laughing.

"I don't know what you can do about that anyway. The mess hall is closed this time of night."

"So what, the curfew is over now. We can ride Bumblebee this time. I'll take you some place I know, it's not fancy or anything, but it is my favourite." Dinner after sex, unconventional, but nothing about them really was.

"Don't stumble back in here in the dead of night, thinking that you won't disturb me, because you will."

"We're sorry in advance, Blake. But it's our first official date, so don't wait up." Yang winked, as she slid out of bed, completely sheetless. Ruby blushed a deep shade of pink, and her eyes avoided pointing directly at Yang, but she sighed and let Yang's nakedness continue. "Come on, Princess. Let's get inside that shower and get all wet," she said, waggling her eyebrows up and down, waiting for someone to take the bait. "Really, you're not going to touch that one?" Weiss merely sighed and rolled her eyes as Yang picked her up by the waist and they sauntered into the bathroom.

"Ohhhh, they _just ate_ ," she sniggered. "I get it now." Well done, Ruby, well done. Slow clap.

Blake was still awake when they returned, but she had no reason to be mad at them, because they were quite quiet and stealthy, which surprised her. She had headphones on, listening to music that her new friends recommended, for protection against hearing anything that she didn't want to, when Yang and Weiss did finally show up. Ruby had fallen asleep watching cartoons on her scroll, probably to try and erase the image of Weiss nakedly lying on top of an equally naked Yang. Smiling at the adorableness of her sister dozed off, curled up and clutching her scroll, Yang switched off the scroll and tucked her into bed with the covers up to her ears, so she was completely wrapped up, like a cute little Ruby Rose burrito.

Weiss had already remade and claimed her portion of Yang's bed, when Yang climbed up to join her. Weiss pressed her soft lips against Yang's for a moment in greeting. They had been separated for a whole minute, it was too long for them not to be touching. "Why are you wearing clothes?" she wondered out loud. Yang grinned and swiftly rectified the problem, and then took off the worn out T-shirt that Weiss had also claimed as hers. Weiss put her warm mouth over one of Yang's nipples the second they were bare, sucking on it and squeezing the other one, before swapping around. Her tongue made lazy licks all around the areola and in her cleavage, making Yang shudder and arch her back. Weiss worshipped Yang's breasts, she couldn't get enough. Yang let out breathy sighs whenever Weiss used a little more pressure over her sensitive nipples, and loved to stroke and run her fingers through Weiss' soft hair. Weiss was a fast learner as to where Yang enjoyed being touched and how hard. She held the stiff bud with her teeth and rolled it gently between them, before biting on it like a playful cat. Weiss placed her index finger over Yang's slightly parted lips.

"Shhh, control yourself, or do you want them to hear you?"

Yang glanced over at Ruby who hadn't moved a muscle, and she could hear Blake's faint music from her headphones which she knew would block a decent amount of sound, but she complied with Weiss, and mimed the action of zipping her mouth shut. Weiss gave her a half-smile as Yang took hold of her face and brought their lips together in a kiss that almost melted Weiss' panties. Yang bit Weiss' bottom lip, not too hard, but hard enough that Weiss yelped into her mouth. Yang chuckled quietly, noting Weiss' reaction.

"You were saying? We both know, that out of the two of us, you have quite a filthy mouth on you. If anyone's going to be loud, it's gonna be you."

Weiss raised her hand, as if preparing a slap that Yang was ready for, but she pushed Yang's hair out of her face. Their kiss was less heated this time, and they fell horizontal, in each other's arms. Lying down, with her eyes closed, put Yang very close to the clutches of tiredness, with sleep not far behind, but she could not stop kissing Weiss, not even for a minute while they pulled the covers haphazardly over themselves.

It was getting late so Blake removed her headphones and, after switching off her light, relaxed into bed. Something irritated her almost immediately, a small sound, almost definitely intended to be hidden. She grit her teeth and pressed her fingers to her temples in despair. Covering her ears with a pair of pillows, Blake stewed in bed while trying not to listen to the soft, wet smacking noises of Yang and Weiss kissing. At least, she hoped it was that. Thoroughly fed up, Blake placed both feet on the bottom of Yang's bunk and pushed. The mattress lurched upwards and almost threw Yang and Weiss out of bed. Blake smiled to herself when they both shrieked in alarm.

"I can hear you, you know."

"Fuck." Weiss whispered.

"Sorry!" Yang waved her arm apologetically over the side of her bed.

"Go to sleep. You can eat each other's faces tomorrow."

To be fair to them, they did wait at least half an hour for Blake to fall asleep. Blake wasn't exactly sleeping yet, but she was almost there so she dozed off to the muffled sound of their pleasure.

Yang was so grateful that the next morning was a rest day and she could close her eyes again after naturally waking up around dawn. She snuggled with Weiss who stirred, and mumbled something about a cheat meal and then became still. Her breathing was still deep and slow, she hadn't woken. Yang leaned over and gently kissed the boo boo on the side of Weiss' neck, inhaling a big breath of the scent of Weiss' hair.

"So gorgeous." Yang whispered to herself, thinking about how lucky she was. Their date was so fun, no arrests were made, and Weiss was happy with Yang's choice of place to eat. It was a grillhouse specialising in lean meat, and the very attractive waiters dressed as cowboys brought them endless skewers of a barbecued selection of exotic meats imported from all over the world, and cooked rare to perfection. Protein heaven. For carbs, they got their money's worth from buffet cart with salad and rice dishes. Also, they served grilled pineapple as a finisher, for the enzymes to help digest all the meat. They were very lovey-dovey during the meal, the waiters picked up on it and played along charmingly, spontaneously serenading them at one point, giving them a first date to remember.

Yang sweetly kissed the tip of Weiss' nose, and lay back, relaxing with her hands behind her head. Unlike the last time she woke up from a night out with Weiss, she was fully refreshed and energised. They had a few cocktails with dinner, but nothing too extreme. Yang held her close. She was surprised that Weiss didn't wake up immediately, it was true that she was a light sleeper. Seemed like she was always awake before Yang would nudge her and then drag her to the gym early in the morning.

Weiss was half-asleep, dreaming pleasantly, as she felt Yang's hand ghost over her body. She murmured incoherently in her sleep, so Yang kissed her moving lips. Waking up to kisses, what a time to be alive, was Weiss' first thought as her brain surfaced from her hazy half-dream. It was probably the best feeling ever, that they had all the time in the world to waste away in bed. But it wasn't really wasted, when they were sharing the loveliest, most satisfying cuddles, kissing nakedly and grinning like big idiots. Ruby and Blake getting up and pottering around the dorm discouraged them even further from moving out their cosy little nest in Yang's bed.

 _Eventually_ , they were forced to break their embrace due to hunger. They didn't dress up, in fact, it was the most dressed down Yang had ever seen Weiss. She had on a football shirt that was, like Yang's T-shirts, far too big for her, and loose sweat pants. Yang was surprised that Weiss owned clothes like that, although Yang wasn't stupid enough to think that Weiss was the shirt's original owner. Even in the gym, the outfit was coordinated and stylish, the idea was to turn heads. Yang couldn't help but think that, for once, Weiss didn't want to make a fanfare of herself. Although the drastic style change would probably draw enough attention by itself. Weiss stared unhappily in the mirror, checking herself from multiple angles to see how it would affect the mark Yang left on her. She held her hand over the hickey and sighed.

"Are you going to walk around with your hand like that? Because I don't want to be stuck standing next to a weirdo."

"What else can I do? I don't want people to see it."

Yang took hold of her elbow to coax her out of the door. "Come on, it's so small, I doubt people will even notice."

Weiss shook her off, and stamped her foot. "Have you seen how pale I am? People will notice, trust me."

"Just forget it and let's go already. I want breakfast. I'm so hungry."

"Go then. I'm not leaving until this thing goes away." Weiss sat down with purpose, crossing her arms and legs, as if that would make her more immovable. Yang wanted to laugh, she could so easily hoist Weiss above her head and carry her to the dinner hall.

"Don't be so ridiculous, Wino." Yang had a brainwave. She went to her wardrobe and took out her orange infinity scarf and handed it to Weiss. "Here, problem solved."

"But, this is yours." It very much belonged to Yang, who usually would not let anyone else touch it, not even Ruby. Since she got it back from the dry cleaners', she kept it safe in the closet, almost like she was protecting it from harm. Weiss could tell how precious it was to her, by how she touched it everyday, even though it was only when they left on field missions that she took it along with her.

"Yeah, I know, I'm letting you borrow it."

Weiss cautiously pulled it over her head. "The colour doesn't really suit me, does it?" It certainly looked bright and stood out from a mile away against her alabaster skin, but truly, she was scared that she would damage or lose it, and make Yang less than pleased with her.

"Here, put this on as well." Yang tossed her an old, brown, faded hoodie. It was plain to see that it was the wrong size for Weiss, the shoulders were too wide and the sleeves were too long. Weiss put it on anyway, it was cosy and warm, and smelled just like Yang. She never wanted to take it off. "Better?"

Weiss gave a small nod and caught Yang in a hug. She stood on her toes to give Yang a grateful peck on the lips. "Thanks." For everything, for thinking of Weiss and being considerate, even though she didn't think much of Weiss' problem. Especially for being so adorable while doing that.

They walked holding hands at first, but Yang let go to put her arm around Weiss. Weiss melted into Yang and she grabbed her ass through her sweat pants. Yang laughed, so Weiss put her hand under the waistband and pinched the bare skin of Yang's butt. She gasped as she felt what seemed hard as rock, so she gave it another squeeze, just to make sure. Yep, definitely solid.

"Oi, cheeky," Yang said as she bumped their hips together. They walked a bit further with Weiss' hands down Yang's trousers, Yang biding her time, letting Weiss get comfortable before she grappled Weiss to slam her against the nearest wall. She forced their lips together and her hands slithered up Weiss' T-shirt. Yang thumbed her nipples until they were hard and they showed through Weiss' layers of clothing. They hastily broke apart when they heard voices travelling in their direction.

They refrained from holding hands or even touching at all as they walked silently through the campus. Weiss' paranoia didn't get the better of her until they entered the cafeteria together. Her hand went to cover the lovebite until Yang reminded her she was doing it again.

They queued up for their food, almost drooling in anticipation, Yang chose the biggest breakfast she could get (in fact it was two meals put together) and Weiss was not as reserved with her choices as usual. Yang smiled to herself as she saw Weiss pick an extra large serving of the calorie-dense creamy oats and not one, but two portions of turkey sausages. They sat at the dining table in the two seats between Ren and Blake.

"So are you two a thing now? I saw the photo you uploaded, but to be clear, is it official?" Nora quizzed them before they could take their first bite.

Weiss' eyes swivelled sideways to watch Yang's reaction. Yang took a deep breath and nodded ever so slightly. Nora's arms shot up in victory and she held up her hand to Ren for a high-five. "I told you!" Ren sighed and obliged her.

"Well, a hearty congratulations to you both," Pyrrha said and everyone else joined in. "It'll be nice to have another couple to hang out with, won't it Jaune?"

Jaune shifted uncomfortably opposite Yang and she felt his legs move under the table. "Y-yeah, sure." His eyes drifted to Weiss and settled there for a bit too long. Yang caught him staring so she stared right back until he noticed, and he jumped in his seat and averted his gaze.

Nora had already finished her food so she was bored. Her quick eyes clocked the discrepancy between Yang and Weiss. It seemed silly now that she saw it, she should have recognised it straight away. Weiss had expensive taste, and the thing around her neck was not just cheap, it was actually home-made. "Weiss, why are you wearing Yang's scarf?"

Weiss' knuckles turned white around her knife and fork, however her face reddened. She tensed all over, and Yang noticed the sudden change in mood around the table.

"That's a good question," Blake said, turning away from her book.

Weiss scrambled to come up with something. "I was cold." It was obvious, but plausible.

"Yeah, she was cold, so I offered her my scarf. You know, to keep _my girlfriend_ from getting cold." The words sounded so good to Weiss' ears, a genuine smile reached all the way to her eyes. She caught herself far too late, and scowled, mainly at herself.

Blake's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You don't blush like that because you're cold, there's something else going on."

"No, I swear, I was just cold. Yang was being a wonderful girlfriend and let me borrow it to keep warm."

"Gosh, it sure is warm in here," Nora said, earning the most evil stare Weiss could muster.

"Yes, you can take it off now, Weiss. It's plenty warm in here plus you've got a big hoodie on." Weiss turned her furious attention to the redhead. Pyrrha shrunk backwards and wished she had brought her shield with her which would be excellent for deflecting the look of daggers she was getting from both Yang and Weiss.

"Unless you're not wearing it because it's cold, and it's there for an entirely different reason." Logical as ever, Blake took a step towards the truth that was poorly concealed by the scarf.

"Weiss and I are together now, why shouldn't we share clothes?" Yang tried to trip up Blake and derail the conversation.

"You're not wearing anything of Weiss'." Ruby's powers of observation were making Yang irate.

"Just drop it, Ruby." Yang scowled across the table at her sister. Weiss couldn't decide who to glare at.

With Weiss distracted, Blake's finger pulled the scarf down. "Oh my." Blake sounded quite impressed, which was saying a lot. Weiss jolted away and swore at Blake. Already exposed, she let Blake show the rest of the table the hickey, rolling her eyes and huffing while doing so.

"Weiss, what is that? Are you ok?" Pyrrha was genuinely concerned.

"It's a lovebite," Blake said with a raised brow and a knowing look.

"Oh." Pyrrha was so innocent. "What's a lovebite?" She was also naive, bless her.

"How did you make it to 18 years old and not know what a lovebite is? It's when someone sucks on your skin until it bursts the blood vessels at the surface and looks like… Well, it looks like that."

Jaune was flustered, hot and bothered, and stretched out his collar with a finger to get some cool air to his chest. "Yeah, it is rather warm in here."

"Didn't it hurt?"

"No, it doesn't hurt," Weiss snapped. "It's just tiresome to explain where it came from." She not-so-subtly jabbed her elbow into Yang's ribs.

"We did tell them that we're together now, no explanation needed."

The penny finally dropped. "Oh. _Oh_." Pyrrha turned a brighter shade of red than her hair.

"Pyrrha, are you still a virgin?" Blake's question drew the attention of everyone seated around her, even Nora and Ren leaned in close so that their heads formed a protective circle.

"I thought we all were," she spoke directly to the wooden table. It was for the better that she didn't catch the looks shared between everyone else sitting at said table. They couldn't believe it, there was actually someone in their year who was still unbesmirched. Of course it would turn out to be prizefighter Pyrrha Nikos. Yang and Weiss had lost theirs well before attending Beacon, Blake just after, Ruby and Jaune took about six months but they hardly waited long before doing the dirty deed after hooking up (they waited for the stroke of midnight on the day of Ruby's sixteenth birthday to be exact). Nora and Ren, well, they could protest all they wanted but there was definitely some history between those two. "Really, all of you? Weiss, you as well?" Weiss' reputation as frosty and prudish was well-known.

"Oh, believe me, I can personally attest to Weiss' status as sexually active," Yang purred.

"Yes, and that's all we're going to say on the subject." Weiss cut over her as her hand slipped under the table so she could dig her nails into Yang's thigh. Yang's jaw tightened but she shut it for now.

Pyrrha turned redder still. "Jaune and I want to wait until we're ready."

Jaune visibly gulped and he and Ruby scooted away from each other on the bench they shared. Everyone was staring at him, they all sussed the game Jaune was playing. On the one hand, it was quite sweet of him to convince Pyrrha that he would wait with her, but on the other, it was really dickish to lie to her. Eyes darted around, meeting together for mere seconds, and they collectively decided that they would keep his secret for him.

"Aw, how cute." Yang did her best not to sound too patronising.

"Yeah, that's really romantic. When you do go for it, once you're ready, it'll be really special. A memory you'll cherish, always." Weiss' comment was so cheesy, that it could be canned and sold as a dairy product. Yang gave her some major side-eye.

"Thank you. I've always felt that the first time should be special, I just know that when the time is right, the emotions will lead us in the right direction." It seemed that Pyrrha wanted to best Weiss' corniness. Yang nearly retched.

"It'll be so wonderful for you guys." Weiss was the best at keeping up the charade, Yang figured that it must be because she's had the most practise at lying through her teeth, keeping under wraps the fact that she was a heavy drinker and drug user, not to mention a kinky little bitch. No, it was much more cunning than that, in order that Weiss' secrets stayed secret, she put on a front, displaying the opposite behaviour to the truth. Yang had been fooled along with everyone else, but she did feel deeply honoured by the fact that Weiss was willing to share herself with Yang, more than any other person had done before.

"It was great for us," Yang said, draping her arm over Weiss' shoulders and planting a sweet kiss on her face. She smiled at the way her pale cheeks flushed instantly. Yang gave her another one because she found that tiny blush so damn cute.

Blake sat back and listened to the couples converse. They were discussing the first of a series of fantastic double date ideas. She smirked as she imagined the hilarity of Yang and Weiss, and Pyrrha and Jaune on a date together. Yang and Pyrrha were polar opposites of the sluttiness scale, she knew that anything Yang did on a date would cause the warrior to burn with embarrassment, and Weiss and Jaune together would be the awkwardest thing ever since he had asked her out numerous times before and was shot down, only to find himself on a date with her except they wouldn't be with each other. How delightfully bizarre, she wished she could be a fly on the wall for that excursion.

Ruby seemed uncharacteristically uncomfortable, she had her chin propped up by an arm and she had physically turned away from Jaune which left her staring at a blank wall. They were expecting her to forget about her summer love and time spent with Jaune, pretend she was a virgin again, revert back to being the child that she was always seen as, and she was a little angry about that to say the least. Stupid Jaune and his stupid lies, she was feeling dissident and wanted Jaune to be rumbled, but at the same time, his stupid, frigid girlfriend, Pyrrha, was her good friend and she didn't want to upset her. So she sulked as the others gossiped, until she had had enough of listening to her friends talk about going out without her, and went to the workshop to tinker with Crescent Rose, while continuing to mope.

"So, Blake," Blake awoke from her daydream with a start, "are you going over to Sun's this weekend?"

"Yes, I think it's my turn to go see him."

"What do you guys do together in Mistral?" Jaune asked.

Yang's face cracked into a sneer. "Oh, you know, they _chill_. Yeah, they're really chill."

"Shut it. What do you know anyway," Blake hissed. "We hang out, do regular stuff."

"Pfft. Regular, right."

"Are you using chill as a euphemism for something else?" Jaune certainly was a curious fellow.

"Maybe." Yang winked.

"I think what he meant was, what is there to do in Mistral? Where do you hang out?" Pyrrha said, steering the conversation out of the gutter.

"We go fishing on the lake."

Yang's hand slapped down on the table, and all the drinks wobbled precariously, as she let out a loud, brash laugh. "Seriously, Blake, pull the other one."

"I have no reason to lie."

"Yeah, but, for real, fishing?"

Blake gave a small shrug. "Yeah, what's wrong with fishing? Sun gets to sunbathe while waiting for the catch of the day, and I get to read my book in a serene, peaceful place." The likes of which she would never be able to find in a huge, bustling megalopolis like Vale. It was exotic and beautiful there, and she proved it by showing them the pictures on her scroll. Sun provided even more eye candy because he took off most of his clothes to top up his tan, but she kept those photos to herself. She made doubly sure to hide the folder of X-rated pics that they exchanged via messages, the ones that almost never included their faces.

"And that's all you do?"

"Well, afterwards we get to eat the fish we catch."

"Oh, now it makes sense."

Weiss turned to Blake with a deadly serious look on her face, the face that scared Yang sometimes. "You miss him, don't you? When you're not together."

Blake's eyes closed while she pictured his smile. "At times. Once a week is enough for me. He has a lot of energy." As the words came out of her mouth, her scroll's tinkly text alert sounded three times in quick succession. Blake surreptitiously covered her scroll screen from the prying eyes around the table.

"Is that him?"

"He's texting her flight times," Yang said, knowingly.

"You should tell him to come to Vale, then we can have a triple date."

"Oh, that sounds like an absolutely lovely idea," Pyrrha said. Interesting to note that Nora and Ren were not considered a _couple_ couple for the entry requirement of this multi-pairing date night. Blake and Pyrrha began to discuss a mutually agreeable venue of their night out.

Weiss tapped Yang's arm gently and curled her finger in a come-hither gesture. "Once a week is so not enough for me," she said quietly so only the blonde could hear.

Yang's smile was salacious and she cupped her hands around Weiss' ear and spoke with unexpected velvetiness, "for me, it has to be more than once a day."

Blake cleared her throat, and passed them a look so they knew that she had heard exactly what they said. "So, when are we doing this?"

"Well, how soon can Sun get here? Tomorrow?"

"Sun said he'll catch a red-eye so he can be here by this afternoon."

"Ok, tonight it is, then."

"Yeah, we need to go out and celebrate."

"Celebrate what? We haven't got our results yet," Pyrrha said, checking the time, counting down the minutes until the papers had been graded and the merits awarded.

Yang and Weiss stared at Pyrrha quizzically. A big party was long overdue. They needed to celebrate the fact that they were free of the annoying shackles of having Goodwitch on their heels all day, every day. But as they promised Professor Ozpin, they kept the secret of their arrest and Yang's past extra-curricular activities exclusively to Team RWBY. So, to Team JNPR it felt like Yang and Weiss' punishment was disproportionately harsh for practically nothing, and everyone was subjected to a curfew for no reason at all. Pyrrha, being the brilliantly intelligent logician that she is, surmised that they broke the rules the first night of the curfew and to prevent them from doing it again, Goodwitch stuck to them like flies on shit.

Weiss didn't need a reason to want to go out and rave it up. With Yang at her side, she felt like the numbest parts of her had come alive. She had to pretend she was not on the verge of jumping up and down and dancing at any given moment. "We can celebrate Yang and I getting together."

"Yeah, exactly," Yang said, affectionately kissing Weiss yet again. Weiss was literally the best thing that had happened to her all year. Everyone at the table saw it, the way that Yang looked at Weiss. The way that Weiss smiled when Yang wasn't looking. Her temporary pink blush whenever Yang did something remotely cute. How they were always touching or looking at each other and smiling. They had installed themselves as Beacon's premier power couple, already famous with legions of fans, and with the added advantage that they were absolutely genuine.

After breakfast, Yang and Weiss dressed more appropriately in order to go out shopping. It had been ages since Weiss had promised to take Yang for a retail therapy session. Yang hadn't quite forgotten about it, but she didn't mention it. So she was both surprised and excited to see what Weiss had to offer. Not everyone got to be treated to a shopping spree by the heiress of the most profitable multinational corporation in history, so Yang felt very privileged to have the experience. The weather was exquisite, summer was dawning and this was their first taste of the fierce summer sun, but it still had the invigorating spring breeze to keep them pleasantly cool, and pushed the small white puffy clouds slowly across the otherwise pure blue sky. It matched their mood quite perfectly.

Holding her hand and following in Yang's footsteps, made Weiss the happiest girl alive.


	7. Chapter 6: The Yangover Part I

**Chapter 6: The Yangover Part I**

Weiss very nearly demanded on using a trolley to get all their purchases up to their dorm, but Yang was adamant that she had to take everything by hand in one trip. Weiss piled the carrier bags into Yang's hands at her continued insistence that she could carry everything. Turned out that she could carry everything, but not fit through doors at the same time. With a bit of teamwork, they made it upstairs.

"Hey Ruby, what you up to?" Yang said, as she walked in. She dumped all the bags by the door and chucked her jacket on the bed.

Weiss was picking up after her so she missed the startled jump as Ruby hid something behind her. "Nothing, just daydreaming again."

Weiss opened Yang's closet, and hung up the jacket. She started with the bags nearest to her, and began to put stuff away, not at all using it as excuse to organise Yang's wardrobe. Weiss rolled up her sleeves, she had not-so-secretly always wanted to do this. Yang let her get on with it, while she teased Ruby, snatching the book she was reading and holding it high above Ruby's reach. Ruby yelped and lunged at Yang, desperate to steal it back. For one fleeting moment, she glanced at Weiss in terror, but the clueless girl had her head inside Yang's closet.

"Your new coat will go great with your boots, Yang."

Yang turned around, and barely recognised her closet. Everything was arranged by colour and length. Somehow she had ten times the space that she had before, even with all the added items from the shopping trip. The book slipped out of Yang's hands and into the safety of Ruby's clutches. She hid it away in a secret place with the speed of a flying bullet, so Yang gave up picking on Ruby for now.

"I'm not wearing my boots tonight, I've got an outfit in mind and it involves heels."

The last time Yang wore heels, her legs looked even more attractive than they do normally and Weiss kinda lost her mind when Yang turned around in the dress for the first time. But before long, they had her toes and the balls of her feet were on fire, and she took them off before she felt like she was walking on glass shards. Weiss cast her mind to the section of her closet dedicated to shoes, which were arranged in colour and heel height order, thinking only of the ones that were 5 inches plus. She knew that it would not be pleasant to wear them, but it would look damn good for her to at least reach up to Yang's nose when stood next to her, and that's what mattered.

"You're brave, what else are you gonna wear with it?"

"Oh, you guys want to get ready for your big night out? So early, though."

"Wino, here, takes ages to get dolled up so, we have to give ourselves enough time."

"Yeah, and pre-drinks have officially started." Weiss popped the cork of a bottle that mysteriously appeared in her hand.

"Ok, I'll get out of your hair. I'll probably go hang out with…" Ruby thought about Blake first, then Jaune, then Pyrrha. They were all going to be talking about this night out. Her shoulders slumped and she sighed. "Someone else," she finished vaguely.

"Uh, ok, Ruby."

"I mean, I'm sure I'll find someone, like someone from my club, yeah."

Yang felt sorry for her sister, but she didn't want to bring everyone down by getting all serious. "You don't have to go, you can hang out while we get ready. It'll be fun." She smiled cheerily.

Ruby glanced to the wine that Weiss was pouring. Weiss smiled sweetly and offered her a drink. "No, it's ok. I think I'll only get in your way." It wasn't just that, Ruby would have fun with them, no doubt, but she would also have to watch them leave to go and have yet more fun without her. Ruby thanked Yang for the offer but left them, alone. She bumped into Blake on her wanderings, and she was about to suggest hanging out for a bit, but Blake nodded in the vague direction of their dorm.

"They've already started drinking, haven't they?" Ruby nodded and mhmm'd with all the sassy attitude she could muster. Blake rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "I'll straighten them out for you."

Ruby frowned at her, incredulous, and then raised one brow. "Good luck with that." They had a good giggle, poking fun at Yang and Weiss' drinking habits.

To be fair, Blake expected the worst when she walked through the door. She took a good long look at their guilty faces. Then she looked at Yang's bed, which was unmade and dirty, she didn't want to know what liquid was spilled on it, and potentially dripping down onto her own bed. They were fully dressed which was a pleasant surprise, but in what could be called pajamas if it weren't four o'clock in the afternoon. "You didn't even start getting ready, did you?"

"We did, honestly, we did." Yang gestured to the make up bottles and containers that Weiss had opened and barely used, and also the outfit that Yang had hung on the door of her closet, but that she was demonstrably not wearing.

Blake couldn't help but laugh resignedly as she shook her head. "Useless fucking lesbians." Weiss was grinning when she handed Blake the last of the sparkling wine. Blake took out a mangled twenty pack, and lit one.

"Since when did you smoke?" Weiss said, while cracking open their second bottle.

"I have for a while now," Blake said, puffing out a plume of blueish smoke.

Yang and Weiss shared a look, and shrugged. If Blake wanted to smoke, she was perfectly at liberty to do so, but Yang opened the window as wide as possible.

"Can I have one?" Weiss asked Blake.

"Sure." Blake flicked the bottom of her pack, and a black cigarette butt poked out of the foil. Weiss took it out and put it to her lips.

"Ugh, can you not? I don't want it to taste like I'm licking an ashtray when I kiss you."

"You want to kiss me?" Weiss said, smiling with the cigarette hanging out the corner of her mouth.

Yang took the cig out from between her lips and curled her arms around Weiss. "Of course."

"Ugh, can you not?" Blake said, as Yang pushed her tongue into Weiss' mouth.

"She's my girlfriend, I'm gonna kiss her whether you like it or not," Yang said defiantly, hugging Weiss with a firm grip.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you're still in the early stages. Could you at least cool it until we're actually out?"

"No," Weiss said, grabbing Yang's butt, as they both giggled.

"Try to keep it clean while I have a shower, yeah? I can hear everything through that wall." That wiped the smiles off their faces, temporarily at least. How many times had Yang and Weiss thought they were alone in the dorm, only to realise that Blake had been in the bathroom, while they had bitched about their friends. Including Blake. She obviously knew that they made fun of her resting bitch face and how she could hold a fully fledged conversation with eyerolls and pure sarcasm, which sometimes made talking to her less than fun.

Blake shouldn't have trusted them. The only way to stop them touching each other would be to chain them up on opposite sides of the room. They didn't need to take the piss though; Yang held Weiss against the wall so her snatch was at face height and ate her pussy that way. They laughed when they heard Blake banging furiously on the other side with her fist. Weiss made sure to moan much louder after that. Blake, accompanied by a cloud of steam, burst through the bathroom door, her forehead scrunched into frown beneath the towel she had wrapped around her head, her hands forming strained claws. She shook her head in disbelief at the position they were in, and rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"You two are such fucking nymphos, I've never known a couple to be so malicious by having sex. Look, I know you are very excited to do the dirty, but can you keep it out of my face please?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Weiss said, sarcastically sounding innocent. Yang gently put her down before doubling over with laughter. "Oh no, now Blake's seen me naked. How terrible for her."

"You've never seen her naked, have you?" Weiss gave a shake of her head so Yang reached for Blake's towel as her back was turned. She pulled it off in one fell swoop, and towel whipped Blake right in the middle of her left asscheek.

"What the- Fuck! Yang!" Blake shrieked, spinning on the spot to scowl at her sniggering friends, a rare blush gracing the apples of her cheeks.

"Wow, Blake. You've got a hot little body," Weiss said, before Blake could untwist the towel on her head and cover herself. It was too little, too late. Weiss had already seen her round, full breasts and the fact that she was freshly shaven Down There. She was fairly toned for a non-lifter, she had the line down the middle of her abs, but the individual cubes were not visible under her pale skin. Her butt was by no means small, but she could do with some squats to tighten up the whole area.

"Hey Weiss, what do you think of Blake's butt? If you keep up the squats and deadlifts, I'm sure you could have a big, juicy booty like her one day." Yang winked, smirking.

Weiss clenched her glutes and felt them up because, squats. "It's a nice butt, but I prefer mine," she said, turning to check it out in the mirror. "It's less about how it looks, and more about how it feels when you grab it." Blake scowled at her. Must be jelly, 'cos jam don't shake.

"Maybe if her butt was grabbed more often, she might do some squats or deadlifts with us, before gravity takes its toll."

"You guys are assholes, you know that?"

Weiss snorted derisively. "Don't act like you didn't love us looking. Everyone likes to get an honest appraisal from time to time. What else are friends for? You must get frustrated, I know you do. I can hear things too."

Blake dropped the towel that was too small to go around her, and marched over to Weiss, angrily staring down her nose at the shorter girl. Weiss expanded her chest and pushed her shoulders back so she seemed as big as possible, the aggressive stance held tense but loose. Yang blinked rapidly, with her mouth hanging open, unable to believe the scene unfolding in front of her.

Blake clenched her jaw, Weiss returned her penetrating gaze with an evil smile and staunchly stood her ground. They were inches away from touching, and Yang was feeling more uncomfortably turned on by the second. Her girlfriend was wearing nothing but confidence and showing the kind of spunk she usually reserved for the bedroom. This little fiasco had Yang genuinely concerned that they were going to start a rough and tumble fight, even if it was the sexiest thing she could possibly imagine watching. Blake would have the upper hand, she reckoned, due to speed, height and reach advantage, but Weiss would be able to put her newfound full body strength to use, and might have a chance to out-wrestle her on the ground.

Oops, now it was too late to get the image out of her mind of manhandling Weiss into the bathroom, fucking her face down, ass up on the floor, and leaving the door open for Blake to watch. When she accidentally looked at Blake, it got a lot worse. She thought about pushing the cat Faunus against a wall, trying to overpower her, and Blake fighting to rip her clothes off. Once they were both naked, Yang could feel her up, licking all the way from her cleavage to her neck, using her teeth where she would normally use her lips. There was no point being gentle with Blake, she liked a rough roll in the hay. She would shove Weiss to her knees and offer up Blake's cunt to eat, knowing that, although tentatively at first, Weiss would do it and fucking enjoy it, taking Blake for a wild ride on her face. Yang fanned herself and needed some fresh air pronto, even though the window was already open the widest it could go.

Weiss did not take her eyes off Blake, but the Faunus turned to Yang as her cat ears twitched mischievously. Blake heaved in a deep breath, and she mirrored Weiss with a sly smile. " _I know,_ " she said simply, tapping the side of her nose with her index finger. She let her smile widen, as she saw Weiss' sassy demeanour drop, giving way to sheer terror.

Yang was rendered almost speechless. "So, uh, what do you know exactly?"

"You'll find out, soon enough."

"Anyone for more wine?" Weiss said, as she backed down and comforted herself by pouring wine all the way to the top of her glass. Blake watched carefully as the heiress downed almost the entire thing in one swig. Behind her back, the Faunus looked like the cat that got the cream, smug as hell that she had won their butt naked stand-off.

"Ok, does anyone wanna tell me what just happened?"

"I wouldn't worry your pretty little head about it, Yang." Blake said casually, heading over to her drawers where she kept her underwear. The other two girls took that as a signal that they should probably get changed too. Weiss slipped into her extra sexy lingerie, and dug through her extensive wardrobe carelessly. She owned far too many clothes, more than one person could possibly need, so making a decision about what to wear was rather difficult for her. What a terrible shame to have such #RichGirlProblems. She emptied out her closet onto the floor, and began sorting the maybes, possiblies, definitely nots, and oh hell nos into piles on her bed.

"What are you gonna wear, Blake?"

"I wanna wear jeans."

"Ok, I'll wear my booty shorts then." The piece of clothing that Yang pulled out of the closet was smaller than some of the underpants that Blake owned.

"I'm wearing jeans too." Weiss said, extracting her skinny jeans from the pile she had already discarded. She sat on the edge of her bed and began the arduous task of getting the damn things on her body. She was first stopped by her calves, where normally they would slide right over. She pulled the legs up like socks and yanked them past her knees. Her hands slipped and she smacked herself in the face. Yang and Blake creased over with giggles. Weiss gave them dirty looks and took a much firmer hold this time. There was no give in the denim to allow them to stretch over her bent knees.

Weiss stood, half-jeaned, and lunged over to the other side of the room, wiggling her bum so that the jeans climbed up by themselves. Weiss reached down to grab them again, hoiking the jeans over her thighs. They were meant to be her size, but her quads disagreed, and she could already feel the seams digging in. Weiss made a valiant attempt to get them up, but her lower glutes just would not fit. She hopped in place, with her fingers hooked into the belt loops.

"Weiss, I don't think it's gonna happen."

"It will," Weiss insisted, still jumping and doing little leg shakes to squeeze herself into the trousers. She lay on the floor and flapped her legs about, inching the jeans further up.

"Your butt is too big, it's all those squats, they're paying off."

Weiss sat up and used her arms to get to her feet. "Why didn't you warn me that it causes problems with jeans?"

It never occurred to Yang at all. She shrugged. "Why don't you wear some leggings or jeggings or something?"

"'Cos I wanna look turnt up."

"Well, then you'll have to wear a skirt," Yang said, licking her lips and daydreaming about Weiss' smooth legs. As she was thinking about how easily she could get access to Weiss' pussy in a skirt, Weiss triumphantly thrust her arms in the air, the jeans were over her butt.

"Never mind, I'm wearing jeans."

Yang looked her up and down. Her flies were open. "As much as that's a very sexy look, can you do them up though?"

"Should be able to, I got them this far, I'm not giving up now." Weiss tried and failed three times to get the button in its hole. The zip only went halfway. "Damn. I think I need to invest in some Peach Bum jeans." The brand was designed for fat-bottomed girls, but they would also be adequate for women that lift with lots of room in the seat and upper legs but with a regular sized waistband.

"Yeah, they're good. I've got a pair, but I think they'd be too long for you."

Weiss sighed in defeat. "Guess I have to wear a skirt then. Blake, you should wear the skirt I leant you so I won't be the only one."

"Why does it matter?"

"Because I don't want to be the only one with my legs on show." Yang turned to her to inform her of her current insanity, Weiss' legs were naturally lean and now that she had significant muscle, they could win awards, but Yang kept it to herself this time. She didn't want Weiss' ego to get bigger than her ass.

"Yang's got shorts."

"That's so not the same."

"Come on Blake, get your legs out. Otherwise, we will literally never leave."

Blake rolled her eyes but got changed anyway. She paired the skirt with knee high boots that made her look almost as slutty as Yang. Weiss picked up two skirts and put them against her waist in turn. Yang pointed to the one in her left hand. It was shorter, tighter, and would push her butt up into the coveted shelf that one could rest a pint on. Weiss slipped it on and nodded in approval at the shape of her peachy ass.

"One more drink for the road," Weiss was doling out the hard liquor already. Yang grabbed hers and swallowed the amber liquid. Weiss followed suit, and Blake took a sip of hers and put it down.

"Ok, ready. Let's go."

They opened their door, Pyrrha was standing there in a pale gold halter neck dress, with her hand up ready to knock. "I was just coming to find out how long you'll be. The cab is waiting."

It was a fairly noisy cab journey, as the six teens were easily excitable. The novelty of going out together for the first time had yet to wear off so everything was new and fantastic, even riding in a seven-seater cab. Yang and Blake were already tipsy from their pre-drinks, so Yang's was the loudest voice, and the alcohol had loosened Blake's tongue so she became much more talkative than normal. Sun was beside himself. Blake was all over him, probably spurred on by how many times she had to endure watching Yang and Weiss make out in front of her. Endure, like it was a hardship.

Jaune made a prat of himself at the entrance when he was the only one who was asked for his ID. The bouncer commented that he looked about 12, despite wearing his fanciest shirt with silver vertical stripes and the blue sports jacket he had inherited from his dad. It swamped him a bit, which didn't help to make him look anywhere close to his age. Weiss brought everyone to the bar with her to take orders for the first round. As they sat down, Sun, who had been up all night on a flight, yawned and that set the mood for the time being.

"So, is everyone having a good time?" Pyrrha was answered with vague and vapid agreements. "Great." Pyrrha sounded embarrassed to say that. Jaune and Sun tried to start a conversation about cars, but it stalled for too long and fizzled out pretty quickly.

"Weiss, please tell me you brought something with you to make this night more fun."

Weiss leaned in to whisper back, "I was going to tell you when we went to the bathroom."

"Coke?"

"Well, yeah, I have some of that too. But I thought you might want to try some methylenedioxymethamphetamine."

"What?"

"MDMA. Ecstasy."

Yang had never touched the stuff before. At least with coke, and definitely with the small amounts she had previously taken, the high could be cut off almost at will. Like if one had to sober up in front of law enforcement, for example. "Oh."

"Problem?"

"No, not at all."

"It lasts longer than coke, so we don't have to go in and out of the bathroom all the time, the queue here is horrendous."

Yang raised a skeptical eyebrow. "But we will anyway, for the coke."

Weiss gave a short laugh. "Yeah, probably. You on it, or what?"

Yang gave her a single nod. "Of course." So that was that. As soon as they could, they disappeared into the bathroom, sharing a cubicle because 'they're a couple now'. On the way in, Weiss bought two doubles with diet mixer, and to this she added the crystals of MDMA, sprinkled out of torn origami packets. She stirred it with her finger, which she then sucked clean. Yang tried to ignore how sexy it looked.

"Drink. All of it in one go."

Yang swallowed her fear that it would make her puke. "Well, bottoms up." Weiss clinked their laced drinks, tipping her glass up like she was taking a shot. To be honest, Yang thought it tasted like she was swallowing something she found on a chem lab floor like a couple of melted cola bottle candies floating around in battery acid. She was a little miffed that Weiss didn't warn her about the taste.

Yang coughed, it dried out her throat. "So what now?"

Weiss glanced at her watch. "Give it half an hour."

"Half an hour?" Yang was used to drugs that produced an almost instant effect.

"Could be quicker, I'm not sure. Wanna do a line of coke while we're in here?"

"I was hoping you'd say that." Yang winked with a lopsided grin.

Outside, Yang was raring to go like she was at the starting block of a big race. Her voice was loud and overbearing, but she created laughs with her good mood. The anticipation of the high was itself making her high. Once it actually kicked in, she turned to Weiss and they smiled because she knew from the way Weiss' pupils had exploded in size that they were both experiencing the same thing. There was a reason that it was called 'coming up' and Yang could not think of a better phrase for the rushes she was experiencing, as her serotonin levels rose unnaturally fast.

Her mind elevated to a higher plane and her body felt free and excitable. She could sense everything at 120%, the clothes she was wearing, the pounding bass coming from the floor, vibrating through her feet, the sweat trickling down her back, the little hairs on the back of her neck standing up and swaying in the breeze created whenever she moved, she felt _everything_ and it was marvellous. She touched Weiss on the arm, and they held hands. Soon they were so close to each other that it was hard to tell where one of them ended and the other began. Yang was so in love with physical contact that she felt like taking all her clothes off so she could get more skin in contact with Weiss. Her hands moved of their own accord, running up and down Weiss' body, just as Weiss' hands did the same to her.

They kissed occasionally, but their mouths were mainly occupied chatting endless flows of bullshit. When they weren't talking, they were smiling deliriously and Yang felt her lower jaw twitch at odd angles, and she saw Weiss doing it too. They were never short of drinks, even though they were constantly moving, dancing, talking, hugging, they always made it back to the bar to get themselves some more. Weiss told her that alcohol would take the edge off, but Yang was sure that this 'edge' was definitely fully on and engaged maximally, judging by the intensity of everything she was feeling, seeing, and hearing.

Impossible though it seemed, Yang and Weiss ended up separated. They went outside to get some air, chatting to the people smoking in their little cordoned-off area. They stayed so long that Blake and Sun came out looking for them and also so Blake could have a cigarette or five. The two blondes started up a raucous conversation about sports, combat in particular, so Weiss and Blake turned their backs and let them get on with it. But when they looked around, the blonde pair were gone.

"What's up with you and Yang?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"You're on something," Blake leaned in to whisper, "something more than alcohol."

"Oh, what gave it away?"

Blake barely blinked but gestured to Weiss' face. Weiss clenched her jaw to stop it swinging. "You look wired. Your eyes are, like, crazy."

Weiss laughed, it did nothing to make her look less buzzing. "Are you asking me because you want in?"

Well, if everyone else was doing it… Peer pressure, the struggle is real. One corner of Blake's mouth curled upwards and she gave the tiniest nod.

"I knew you would join us sometime or another." Weiss realised afterwards how brazen she was being with the very illegal drugs that she was just waving about, for practically anyone to see. A big security guard hustled over to them, revellers either moved or were shunted out of his way.

"I saw you. Hand it over."

Weiss scrunched up her nose in annoyance. "Oh, shit." She felt sympathy for Blake that she did not even get to take the drugs before they were confiscated, but mostly she felt sympathy for herself for losing her precious drugs.

Weiss supposed he was being quite kind to her, to not remove her via the front door. Blake seemed to take it as a personal offense that she would not be able to make a scene in front of the people outside. Weiss rang all their friends who were still inside, but the reception was poor, and hardly any of their texts were getting through, while Blake chainsmoked in rebellion. Eventually, Jaune received a text and voicemail, and replied that he would come outside to meet them. They tasked him with informing the others and collecting everyone together so they could leave. Weiss was already Googoling a better place to go.

"Well, this is fucking shit," Yang said, when they were finally together.

"How was I supposed to know he was watching us? There was like a thousand people in the way."

"Ugh, we just need to get inside a club, or we are wasting the drugs that we got kicked out for."

"Hold your horses, while we're outside, let's spice things up a bit."

"What do have in mind?"

Blake flashed her teeth wryly and took out a small resealable plastic baggy, shaking it for them to see the green buds inside. More drugs, fantastic. As if they didn't have enough mind-altering substances in their systems already, they were going to add one more.

"For a second there, I thought you pulled out a bag of catnip."

Blake laughed. "How the fuck are you meant to get high on catnip? No, this is pure chronic, they call it white rhino."

"White rhino? You didn't happen to get that from a Faunus, did you?"

"It's just as good as any of your high school chemistry lab produced crystal meth."

"Who's got crystal meth? We're on molly tonight."

Blake groaned. "I mean, it's homegrown. At least I know exactly what's in it."

Yang and Weiss bit their lips and shared a glance. "Touché."

Blake licked the gum on the paper, and folded the skin over. It was not the neatest joint she had ever made, but it was smokeable. To be fair to her, she was outdoors and quite tipsy. She lit it up because roller's rights, and passed it to her left when she was done.

Yang took the spliff. "Hey, I know a poem about this."

"You know a poem?"

"What are you trying to say, that I'm not cultured enough to know a poem?"

Well, yes, that's exactly what Weiss was saying. She tutted. "Ok, fine. What's your fucking poem?"

"Roll, roll, roll the spliff,  
Twist it at the end.  
Light it up and take a puff,  
Then pass it to a friend."

"Cute. Do you have any more butchered nursery rhymes, so you can say them now and I'll never have to hear them again? You're taking ages with the spliff, hurry up."

Yang snatched it away from Weiss so she could have one more toke. "Only one I can think of."

"Go on, what is it?"

"Mary had a little lamb,  
It's coat was white and wispy.  
Poor lamb caught foot and mouth disease  
And now it's black and crispy!"

"Holy shit, just when I thought I couldn't hate poetry anymore than I do already."

" _You_ hate poetry? Ok, bookworm, what happened that you hate poetry so much?"

Weiss squeezed her lips shut, holding in a huge lungful of smoke. Blake smirked. "I bet some guy wrote her some sappy, cheesy love poems, but he was a spotty, greasy thirteen year-old and ruined it for her." That summed up the paragraph about him Weiss had written in her diary, after the four very embarrassing attempts at poems about Yang.

"His poems were really good, that's what made it worse. I was dumb back then. He's younger than us, and he's a multimillionaire already, he made huge leaps in the prosthetic limb field after his brother lost an arm in the military."

"Well, it's not like you need to marry him for his money. Is he still single, by the way?"

"Shut up. He's not available for you, and neither is anyone else."

"So I'm stuck with you, huh," Yang said, putting an arm around Weiss' shoulders. She was only joking, but Yang could feel the jealousy emanating from Weiss. "You're the only one I want, Weiss. Seriously," she whispered.

"Good." Weiss put her lips on Yang's, making herself at home inside Yang's arms.

"Anyway, I was thinking we could set Ruby up."

"Now, there's an idea," Blake said, half-smiling thoughtfully. Pyrrha passed on the joint by shaking her head, Jaune took half a toke and choked on it. After a small coughing fit, he passed it to Sun.

"What kind of partner is Ruby looking for, anyway?" Sun said. He had not had the chance to get to know Ruby very well, mostly he knew things that Blake had told him. But Blake gossiped very rarely, she was probably the only person who Weiss knew who could keep a secret better than she could.

"Well, I don't know. She's not, as far as I know. She hasn't said anything to me. She doesn't ever talk about boys."

"Not ever? Not even once?"

"Well…" Yang raised one eyebrow and glanced directly at Jaune. He panicked and automatically sought Pyrrha for a shield but bounced away from her which left him standing, knock-kneed, and all alone.

"Maybe it's not boys she likes."

"Yeah, maybe it runs in the family."

"But I'm sure she does like boys," Jaune said. He was the proof. They even did the sex. Ruby liked it a lot, according to what she told him afterwards. He regretted that they did not make more of the time they had together.

"How would you know that?

"Yeah, but things can change. I didn't always like girls." Yang's hand tightened on Weiss' arm momentarily, reminding her that she was the one girl in particular that Weiss should like the most.

"True, and an excellent point. Yang, what does she talk to you about, if not boys?"

"Well, let's see. Uh, guns, school, Grimm, our dog. I'm gonna say guns again because she talks about them a lot."

"Surely there must be someone out there with similar interests to her."

Sun snorted a laugh. "Sounds like some of the guys I know. Not really the kind of people I would hook anyone up with, I'm just saying."

"Hey, it can't be just anyone. They have to have to _have to_ be good enough for Ruby."

Weiss raised her eyebrows at Yang's double standard. Yang didn't seem concerned whether her own previous sexual partners were good enough for her, they were just good enough for now. "Oh, yeah? And who's going to be making that decision then?"

"Me, obviously."

"Well, that's going to be impossible. You'll have to lower your standards a bit if you really do want Ruby to get a date with a real, non-imaginary person. She could really like someone and be scared to tell you."

"That's ridiculous. Ruby tells me everything."

But hopefully not a single word of the diary that Weiss kept, and none of their conversation after the night of their arrest. Weiss gasped. "What if she's really into someone but she's not telling anyone because she's afraid we'll judge her."

"But we won't."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "We will, you know we will. But we wouldn't say anything to her face."

"Who does she like though? It can't be one of us, you know, the core group. I bet Ruby couldn't hide it at all, I don't think. If she liked one of us, we'd know. I'm guessing here, but it's still likely to be someone we know."

"If it's Neptune, I swear when I get back, I'm going to teach that girl a lesson."

"I don't think it's him."

"Better not be, he's a douche and so not her type."

"I thought you said you didn't know what she liked."

"Well, it's not _that_." Yang imitated one of Neptune's obnoxious selfie poses. "She's way too good for that fuckboy anyway. Thank fuck she didn't show any interest in him the last time he was here. I don't think there's any chance he would have hesitated if she had flirted with him."

"He is quite a smooth talker. He's not lying about being an intellectual. But anyway, this isn't getting us anywhere."

The spliff burned down to the roach, and they moved on. Having walked for what seemed like hours, they finally arrived at the place recommended by their fans. There were about 300 noisy people waiting outside the club. The bouncer wasn't playing ball, flat out refused to let anyone inside. The club was full, he kept repeating. It made Yang and Weiss feel like royalty when people in the queue began shouting their names and screaming at them, begging to get inside the club with them. They only came along because Weiss posted about the shitty club they got kicked out of, and then took a suggestion from a fan of the next club that was hot. She had not expected this many people to turn up.

"All these folk are here because of you?"

Yang turned to them and waved. The fangirlish screams deafened. "Yeah, here I am."

The bouncer opened the rope for them and half a dozen people behind them, leaving the rest even more desperate to get in. Over half their group were very drunk already, Yang and Weiss had at least three different drugs in their systems, four if alcohol counts. The party haze that engulfed them was thick with cannabis smoke and sparkling cocaine crystals, moist from drinks that dried a bit sticky on their top lips. Their new 'friends' brought with them a whole other level of rave, everything was taken to its furthest extreme. The moment they entered this club, they started to dance as the wine they had been drinking on the journey had to be downed quickly started to kick in.

Yang's hips moved hypnotically to the melody pumping out of the club sound system, and Weiss could not take her eyes off her butt. The bass dropped and so did Yang, straight into an ass-to-grass squat, and she began to shake her exposed buttcheeks, twerking to the beat. Weiss' panties were soaked as Yang wiggled her ass like she was trying to make it fall off. Weiss didn't believe that Yang could shake it any faster but then she pressed the gas pedal. Yang arched her back and put her hands on her knees as her legs were splayed, shaking her ass near the ground. She fit right in amongst the pole dancers and scantily clothed aerial contortionists hanging from chains and writhing about in cages. This club was sexed up, as close to a strip club as possible without actually being one.

Weiss had never seen Blake tipsy before, she had never really been anything more than hopped up on caffeine. But Blake with added wine loosened up enough to shimmy over to join Yang on the dancefloor. Usually, Weiss would never lay a hand on Blake. Ruby, yes. Yang, also yes. But never Blake, it was some unspoken rule between them that they never touched if at all possible. Turned out, drunk Weiss will do pretty much anything. Weiss danced squeezed in between Yang and Blake. Yang grinding into her butt with her crotch, Blake had her hands on Weiss' waist, and was close enough to kiss her. The DJ slowed it down for all the couples, but they left the dancefloor in favour of the bar; dancing was thirsty work.

By the time Blake had been served, Yang and Weiss had been kissing for a solid ten minutes. Seemed like they had given up on the bar, the queue moved around them. Yang didn't care for another drink though, the party in her panties was more hardcore than the delirious ravers around them, who were drunk and drugged up to the eyeballs. Weiss tucked Yang's hair behind her ear, moving closer and reaching up by teetering on her tiptoes. "I want to fuck you again. I want to fuck you now, lick your cunt and make you scream," Weiss whispered, using that husky, sexy voice that made Yang's cunt ache for attention. Yang gulped and wildfire began to spread through her, originating from her core, reaching all the way up to her cheeks. She glanced around, avoiding eye contact with everyone, and tried not to stare into space while fantasising about Weiss' mouth on her pussy. She barely managed to stay standing as Weiss licked and nipped at her earlobe.

"Let's get out of here, get a hotel room, order room service. While we're waiting, I'll handcuff you to a chair, and put on a little show for you, give you a slow striptease and lap dance. When I'm completely naked, I'll straddle your lap to kiss and touch you, but you won't be able to touch me back. I'll put my bare cunt inches away from your face, just out of reach. I'll make you watch me play with my pussy and finger myself until I cum right in front of you. Only then will I uncuff you so you can fuck me until I'm raw."

Yang was entranced, she had fallen prey to Weiss' wickedly seductive words, Weiss didn't even need to touch her to make her pant and sweat, Yang could feel herself pulse with urgent need. Her pussy was already so wet and hot, she wanted Weiss to bend her over the bar and fuck her right there, in front of everyone. She bit her lower lip at the thought of her friends watching as Weiss penetrated her with her fingers, now smiling and glancing between them. Her gaze lingered especially on the virginal redhead, the things she could show her, made Yang's pussy burn even hotter. Yang's mouth was arid, so she stole a drink from some man, and paid for it with a very sexy stare-down and a wink.

"What panties did you wear tonight?" she said, sharing the drink with Weiss.

"The black silk with diamonds." She felt them against her skin as she spoke about them, loving the fact that they were soaked through, they must be so sparkly right now.

"Take them off."

"Here? Are you fucking crazy?"

"In the bathroom, whatever. Take them off, they're in my way." Yang opened Weiss' legs with an insistent tug, and hooked her finger underneath the material of Weiss' thong, teasing the her fingertip over the soft lips of Weiss' pussy. Weiss' back was pressed up against a random queuer, he didn't seem to notice Weiss leaning on him as Yang pulled her thong down. They were now dangling off her feet, and she had no choice but to untangle herself and get them off. Yang grabbed them, took a big sniff, and chucked them behind her back. Weiss gaped as half of her favourite underwear set went flying overhead, sailing past the queue for the bar and then landed in someone's pint. The drink's owner got quite a big surprise, but there was no way of telling who the culprit was.

Weiss rearranged her very short skirt. She had obviously intended to keep her underwear on, and even then, she was mindful to keep her legs mostly closed to avoid flashing anyone her lady triangle. All that went out the window as Yang whispered in her ear while she toyed with her pussy. "This is your fault, you asked for this. I can't resist you. I wanna fuck you. I want people to know how good I fuck you, so put on a good show."

Weiss decided instantly. "Do it. Fuck me, right here." She purposefully forgot about the regrets she was already having. Weiss was too high on lust to give a crap.

Yang nodded and waggled a finger in front of Weiss' face then touching it to her lips to shush her. Yang relieved Weiss of her drink and led her out of the queue. Away from the bar was darker, the mood was murkier in the corner that Yang had chosen. Yang pushed her down on the deep armchair and forced Weiss' knees apart and raked her fingernails up her thighs. Yang bodyrolled to land directly on Weiss' crotch and twerked right on top of her. Weiss' brain was a splatter behind her. Her mouth hung open, gagging for Yang's pussy. In a flash of gold, Yang turned around and began to rub her perfect butt all over Weiss' lap. Yang was winding circles and figures of eight just above Weiss now, she finally woke up to the fact that this was a dance and she could join in too. Weiss sat up and placed her hands over Yang's undulating hips and they moved together to the dirty rhythm. Yang tossed her hair back over her shoulder, suspending her butt an inch from Weiss, tricking her into feeling the same erotic sensation as if she were being touched.

She popped her booty, shaking it obscenely above Weiss' crotch, as her powerful legs kept Weiss' legs spread wide open. Yang reached down to Weiss' hands, which were trying to direct her to grind directly on her lap, and threw them off. She shook out her hair, letting it flow down her back, distracting Weiss so she wouldn't expect to have Yang's very exposed cleavage shoved in her face less than five seconds later. Yang sensually caressed her chest for Weiss, over her flat, toned abs and all the way down between her semi-naked thighs until Weiss' tongue was hanging loose, thirsty as fuck. Yang cupped Weiss' face, and sunk her thumb in the corner of her mouth, pulling her towards her lips. Weiss was her puppet. She obeyed Yang's commands without question.

"Open your legs, and keep them open." Yang stuck out her tongue, and winked.

Blake felt the most fabulous she had ever felt, rocking her head back and laughing at a joke from one of Yang's fanboys, holding a flute of champers that had a comma in the price. Several of Pyrrha's own fanboys were crowding her a bit, Jaune was sweating and keeping a firm grasp on her. Pyrrha yawned, she'd already had her quota of drinks that she would allow herself, she was wondering when they might head home.

"Not for a while, darlin'. Party's still going strong," Sun said.

"It's only one, and we aren't gonna be able to move Yang and Weiss any time soon." Blake winked and giggled; she'd passed the point of tipsy now and doing the balancing act of not getting too pissed but staying merrily drunk. Slow, small sips kept her buzz topped up. Naive, and relatively sober, Pyrrha looked very confused, like no one had let her in on a juicy piece of gossip. "You haven't seen what they're doing, have you?" Pyrrha looked even more bemused than before.

"What who are doing?"

Blake threw a glance over her shoulder to Yang and Weiss. "Sorry, not sorry." She lurched forward, grabbing Pyrrha's face, and pulling her into an unsteady, unwilling kiss. Blake spun them around, creating a whirlwind that swept Pyrrha away. Blake felt her pull back, but changed her mind and leant into the kiss. That made it easy for Blake to control her, turn her, face her in the direction of what Blake wanted Pyrrha to see. She made the kiss a good one, so that Pyrrha's lips were still tingling when Blake backed off, and trailed a hand over one of her boobs. Pyrrha's mouth opened and closed, her brain was overloading. Two of her best friends, one of whom she thought wouldn't ever do something like this, were definitely fully engrossed getting some right here. They didn't seem to notice or care that people were watching. Pyrrha included, she stared and stared, and couldn't stop. The urge almost took her to go move Yang's great length of hair so she could get a better look at how Yang's mouth was pleasuring Weiss. Those smooth creamy legs were spread open, Pyrrha could only dream of the view that Yang was getting.

Suddenly, her blood had turned to fire and crashed against the inside of her skin, causing it to turn red. The bottom of her belly writhed and boiled, drawing all of her attention to the rushes occurring between her legs. She wasn't even aware of her friends surrounding her, almost in case she might faint. They kept a close watch on her reactions. The moment Weiss' eyes opened and looked over, the others couldn't help but giggle and turn their backs, but trying not to show that they were still watching too.

Yang noticed. She winked at Pyrrha when she saw the expression on the poor champion's face. Keeping her head to the side and a cheeky devilish grin on her lips, she let Pyrrha see her long wet tongue inch forward and touch Weiss' cunt. Yang could sense that Weiss was tempted to close her legs a little bit. She stretched them wider, and spread her pussy lips open. Pyrrha gasped so loud that Yang heard it. Weiss squirmed, eager to have Yang's tongue on her again. It somehow made it more obscene.

Weiss was going to cum in front of her friends and several complete strangers. So much for her squeaky clean image. It was too much for Pyrrha, she didn't wait for the finale. She hurtled to the bar, downed the nearest shot, apologising to the guy who bought it. She got another and another, and swallowed those too, following it up with a lemon slice. The next thing Jaune knew, her mouth, which tasted very much of tequila, was on him everywhere, particularly his lips.

"Take me home, Jaune." She hiccupped, and tugged on his jacket.

The others left as Pyrrha and Jaune called it a night, summoned a cab, and went home. It was probably best to get out of there before they drew any more attention to themselves. Weiss checked in on their profile, to see what happened to all the fans that had turned out for them before. She asked her followers where they could find a banging party, preferably one that was open late. Weiss relayed the good news of a house party in a mansion. They weren't expressly invited, but it was huge and lively (she'd seen the livestream), and the neighbourhood was so exclusive that hearing about it was basically an invitation.

Excited beyond measure, the party of four spilled into a cab, and set off to find this house rave. They were unforgivingly loud, their driver found them to be his worst customers of the night. Yang wished she had drunk more water, her throat was so dry and painful, and she complained about it until Weiss made the cab stop in a no parking zone so she could zip into a convenience store and got everyone some electrolyte drinks, and bottles of wine for the party.

They drove around for ages looking for the address that Weiss had been given. Turned out to be incorrect, and Weiss' ear was glued to her scroll, making frantic phone calls to her contact. In the end they thought 'fuck it', and had the very pissed off cab driver take them to the nearest place with a late alcohol license.

Unlike the last place, they didn't have the power of a crowd to get them inside, but the platinum streak on Weiss' credit card was their golden ticket, allowing them to jump the queue. The casino was bustling with drunk gamblers, the club upstairs was rammed with party-goers, all dressed to impress. Yang didn't remember much from inside the casino, she had the most fun outside with all the smokers. She befriended a group of attractive young men, as Yang was wont to do, who latched onto her like leeches once they found out who she was, and who she was dating. They knew of an actual party, and they knew exactly where it was, because Weiss had convinced them that they should host it at their place. They set off again, with a different group of fanboys, on the party trail. The house they entered was eerily quiet, but that didn't last long. The guy who owned it, flipped the switch, activating the lights and stereo to get the party restarted. Weiss' cocaine was all finished, she didn't really get into the party spirit until she managed to get through to a dealer who was willing to deliver to the door.

Weiss felt like Mother Hen as she shared out the new batch of drugs, while everyone was braying at her to be fed. Sun was desperate for something to keep him awake. He and Blake shared a pill between them. Weiss put a pill in her mouth, and gestured for Yang to come closer. Weiss put their lips together and her teeth snapped the pill in two and her tongue pushed one half into Yang's mouth. Technically, this was the fifth drug they were taking that night. It used to be par for the course for her to wake and bake after a night of partying to ease her hangover, but smoking slowed her down in the gym too much so she began to stay away from it, and drink less to alleviate her hangovers. 'Cos that worked out so well once she started going drinking with Weiss. Half a pill was a fairly modest amount, it was sensible after the cocktail of drugs they had already taken.

They walked together around the house, seeing everything for the first time with huge, dilated pupils, and commented on how wonderful and great everything was, the rug, the vase, the painting, a door. All of it was amazing. Ecstasy was also wonderful for intensely deep thoughts, and Yang's jaw spontaneously dropped when she heard the lyrics of the Achieve Men's cheery pop song about an ex girlfriend called Molly for the hundredth time, but this time under the influence. On the surface, it was a rowdy fast song about a lost love, but upon a second thorough listen, she noticed that there was no identifying context and the lyrics could easily be interpreted to be about giving up an addiction to party drugs, MDMA in particular. Weiss was amazed that Yang had figured something out, she was also stunned by the alternative view of the song. They turned their attention to each other, and spouted off continuous streams of compliments and flattery. She didn't know why, or how a drug could do this, but Yang found herself telling Weiss the unabashed, uncensored truth about how she felt about her. She lost count of how many times she used the word 'love', but Weiss didn't seem to mind and returned her sentiments without hesitation.

There was no doubt about it, ecstasy definitely lived up to its name. And Yang loved it, the drug was now by far her firm favourite. Happiness, euphoria, fun times, feeling good, loving everyone and everything, chatting like there's no tomorrow, all the hugs, it suited Yang down to a tee. All too soon, the peak was over, and they felt the high waning, so Weiss took out another pill, halved it to share, and chased it with a shot for good measure. After going to the bathroom for what seemed like the fourth time in one hour, and with their positive vibes renewed, they ended up outside in the garden.

"Oh my god, this fresh air is incredible," Yang shouted, taking in lungfuls of oxygen and waving her arms about so that she felt a cooling sensation where she was covered in sweat.

"The sky is beautiful tonight," Weiss said, looking up and then cast her eyes over to the cascade waterfall feature built into the decking. The whole thing was lit with a mesmerising rainbow of cycling colours which she could watch for hours. "Let's sit here and cuddle."

Yang nodded enthusiastically at Weiss' brilliant idea. They lay there and couldn't tell whether it was hours or minutes, until a yawning Sun and Blake dragged them away, so Sun could catch his flight home.

* * *

Ruby didn't have a chance to turn the light on before she tripped over something. Her hand pat the wall to find the switch, but she wished she had left the room in darkness. Her dorm looked like Nora had been using it for target practise. Yang, Weiss, and Blake had left all the closets completely empty, down to the last shoe. All available table surface area was covered in open bottles, cans, and unfinished glasses of alcohol, used make up, and ashtrays full of black cigarette stubs. The contents of the closets that did not end up on the floor, carpeted the beds, except Yang's bed which was in an extremely unmade state.

"I hate them."

Ruby kicked their shit around, she didn't care that she was stomping all over Weiss' dry cleaned clothes. Her finger jabbed into her scroll, dialling all three of their numbers in an emergency conference call. She wanted to summon her scythe and rip the room apart when she had to press redial. She let her scroll fly out her hand in a rage, but luckily the corner bounced off the floor and it landed in a pile of clothes. Ruby screamed at the ceiling. She started by picking out all her stuff, which they had felt the right was all theirs to go through, and borrow whatever they wanted and ask permission later. She would claw their eyes out for anything they stole. Her stuff went away in her closet; Ruby wasn't a neat freak like Weiss, but she wanted things back in the right place. The wardrobe was soon exactly how they found it, Ruby worked from memory, using her systems to order her clothing logically. There was less clutter in the room, so she could see more of what was left on the floor.

A noise of disgust burst forth from her mouth as she emptied each ashtray into the trash and collected up all the unfinished drinks for washing and recycling. Ruby hated them for making her do this, even if she was the best at it. Ruby cleared the floor to make it easier for her to sort out the beds. She found more empty bottles and every single one made her even more livid. Those punks were taking the piss, and halfway through, Ruby then decided that they deserved to be fucked with. She ripped off Yang's bedsheet and curled it up into a huge ball along with her scrunched up blankets and flattened pillow, and dumped the mess to the side of the huge wet patch on the mattress. Ruby gutted each wardrobe other than her own. She took out the rails, drawers, and shelves and built little forts on top of her teammates' stuff that covered their beds.

After this task was complete, she knew it was best to be asleep when they got back. Also, Ruby liked to sleep, she didn't want to be groggy in the morning. It's hard to be quick if one is tired. She would probably get woken up by them demanding an explanation for this weird prank, so this was her opportunity to get some extra rest before tomorrow. Ruby calmly changed into her softest pajamas, the ones that were worn in when she got them because they used to be Yang's, and got ready for bed. She tucked herself in with a note of sadness, and lay down her head. Determined wasn't the word to describe how Ruby felt about trying to go to sleep and her apparent inability to do so. She wished her inner voice would give up, but it kept bringing up harsh feelings that she harboured about her friends, and wouldn't just shut the fuck up. Frustrated tears kept coming, so she threw off the covers and picked up her scroll. It was nearly two already, they would be back soon. Sighing, she got out of bed, regretfully abandoning her chance for sleep. Now, she had to wait for their sorry asses to get home.

Blake made the least amount of noise along the corridor as she had the sense to take her shoes off. Yang and Weiss were attempting to stay quiet, but the walls kept getting up close and personal. Yang lost count of the times that her shoulder collided with solid objects. Weiss tried holding onto Yang for balance, the pair cackled like hyenas. But as neither of them were capable of standing upright, they stumbled into a doorframe, a plant pot, a fire extinguisher and finally a wall, closely resembling a jumble of arms and legs, faces close enough to breathe on each other. Blake winced at the bang that echoed down the corridor and travelled through the paper thin walls into the dorms of sleeping students. To make matters worse, they both thought it was hilarious and could not contain their laughter.

"Shhhh!" Blake hissed. She grabbed them both by the arms and made them walk in a vaguely straight line. They were all complete failures at the simple task of opening their dorm door, like the door knew they were fucked and refused to let them in until they sobered up. It took Yang and Blake over five minutes to work out that the scroll had to be switched on in order to work, even though the screen recognised that it was scanning something. Weiss supervised.

The rude security device was the least of their problems. As light filled the room, Ruby spun around on her desk chair to face them with a frown.

"Where the hell have you been?" Ruby had bloodshot eyes, a symptom of staying up so late, and thin, stiffened lips. "You said you were only going to be out until 2!"

"I was gonna call you, sis, but we were having so much fun and lost track of time," Yang said, brightening the room with her cheerful vibes and winning smile, faked though they were.

"You mean you got drunk and forgot all about me. I tried calling all of you, and none of you picked up! You could've texted me and told me you were ok."

Yang's smile failed. All of them were off their heads, their livers were about to be put through the gauntlet while they slept. If Ruby let them go to bed. "Don't worry, Ruby, we were fine. Went to that place in Chelsea first of all. It was kind of dead there, so we went some place else, think it was in Lancaster. We stuck together and we had a fun night."

"Is that so? Because I thought I saw Jaune and Pyrrha coming home at three o'clock. And they said they came from a place in Mayfair."

"Shit, were we in Camden before or after Mayfair?"

"The casino was after the topless bar."

"Oh my god, oh yeah. Ruby, I won the jackpot!"

"Really, you won?"

"Well, no. But I came this close." Most of her winnings had been spent on drinks anyway. Yang turned back to Weiss and Blake, who were swaying next to each other in the middle of the floor. "Where were we last? Was it Glastonbury? We definitely left a house party to come here," she stage whispered, while covering Ruby's ears.

Ruby batted her away and stood, hands on hips, between the drunk trio. "You guys are a bunch of shitfaced doodoo heads, and I hate you!"

Ruby's blustering, the devious glances exchanged immediately afterwards, and of course, their way over the top fuckedness were the combined cause of the smallest of sniggers to bubble up Yang's throat. The dam broke, and Weiss and Blake finally lost their battles with gravity and landed on the ground, belly laughing like their room was soundproofed. It wasn't. Yang fell to the wall laughing too hard and grabbed onto Ruby for support. The young leader threw her legless sister off. She swayed and collapsed onto the edge of Weiss' bed, gasping for breaths in between gigglesnorts.

"You three are a joke of a team, look at you, you're a mess. You have a lot of cleaning up to do before tomorrow." Ruby yanked a cardigan loose from the pile of crap on Blake's bed and chucked it at Weiss. It hit her in the face but she laughed and threw it back. She missed.

"Can't we just, you know, leave it, and go to bed? I promise we'll definitely tidy up tomorrow."

"Also, when you think about it," Yang was feeling drunkenly philosophical, her insightful wisdom, unbound by the constraints of science and/or logic, would surely be astounding, "It kind of _is_ tomorrow." Wow, Yang, groundbreaking. Although, it was a fact that could no longer be denied as the sun had almost fully risen.

"No. You will tidy up today, or right now, or whatever you want to call it, while I go to bed. And don't even think about getting nasty when you think we're all asleep."

"What?"

"You heard me! In fact, I don't want you to sleep in the same bed anymore, it's getting ridiculous now. You each have your own bed, so use it."

"What?!"

"Just shut the fuck up and do as I say. I'm in charge here and I'm pissed at all of you, so what I say, goes."

"Well, fuck that," Weiss said, shoving the pile of crap on her bed onto the floor. "Get over here."

"If you go near her, I will tear you away by your hair." Blake warned, so Ruby didn't have to. She did feel sorry for their young leader, it wasn't fair that they were trampling all over her.

"Don't even talk about touching my hair, bitch!"

"Yeah, and don't ever threaten my girlfriend."

"Ohmygod, will you shut up?!" Ruby used her whistle. The three others were effectively gagged. "Yang, go sleep in your bed. Weiss, you sleep in your bed, and I don't want to hear another word out of your sassy drunk mouths." Ruby spun back around to face Yang with a furious look in her eye. "Any of you."

"But, our beds are covered in crap."

"Not. Another. Word." Ruby's hands were hooked in frustration, like she was holding herself back from throttling Yang. With her sister being so agitated and stressed, Yang cowered, she wasn't going to win this round. Ruby felt satisfied that she had been as angry as she needed to be, and thus reverted back to baseline sleepy Ruby behaviour, and yawned. Blake, ever the sensible one, ushered Weiss into the bathroom so she could remove her makeup and then came back to stare pointedly back and forth between Yang and her bed. Yang begrudgingly helped move all the shit on their beds. After piecing together and rebuilding the interior of each closet, they indiscriminately shoved everything inside, not checking what belonged to whom. It was good thing Weiss was in the other room, because Yang was sure that more than 50% of the stuff being thrown around haphazardly was hers and none of it was very clean anymore.

It didn't take long after they all passed out, for Weiss to climb up and crawl into Yang's bed. Blake was woken and rolled her eyes, but she didn't say anything. Yang remained undisturbed, so Weiss put an arm around her waist and settled in behind her. They were so dead to the world, that sunlight pouring in through the open curtains didn't wake them, even when Ruby made a private little song and dance about getting up around 8. She tutted loudly when she discovered that her rules had been ignored, but didn't have the heart to tear them apart. She wasn't ratty and tired anymore, so her mood had improved massively, even if her relationships with her friends were going South.

Weiss' face screwed up automatically, at the loudness of two familiar voices having an argument. She lifted her head from the pillow very briefly, to allow a little more sound into her ears. She recognised the voices as belonging to her good friends, Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Ark. She couldn't imagine what they could possibly be arguing about, because their relationship was so flawless and perfect, probably due to the fact that they hadn't complicated things by reaching new levels of physical intimacy.

Jaune's voice sounded particularly shrill at this ungodly hungover hour of the morning. "Oh, so you remember the fact that I slept with Ruby, but not losing your own virginity?"

Weiss gulped. Well, shit.

"Jaune, this is all new to me. I don't remember getting home last night, but I do remember leaving and why. I don't remember any of what you're talking about, so I don't know if you're lying to try and trick me."

"Trick you? Pyrrha, I love you. I would never! How could I even trick someone like you?"

"If I don't remember it, technically, that makes me still a virgin. So we can wait for a length of time and do it for the first time, again."

"I think it makes you a terrible drunk. You can't be good at everything, so there we go, finally found something that I'm better at than you. You could learn a thing or two about sex, now that we're talking about it!"

Pyrrha's hand shot up to shield her gaping mouth as she gasped. "Jaune! That's an awful thing to say!"

"You forgot the first time we slept together, you don't get to be the judge of feelings and things."

"I- I'm sorry."

"Sorry, sorry, sorry! That's all you ever say. Sorry, I'm such a better fighter than you, Jaune. Sorry, I'm so much smarter than you, Jaune. Sorry, I'm going to overshadow you for the rest of your fucking life!"

"I'm so-"

"Don't say it. Just for once, instead of feeling sorry for me, could you at least try to understand me."

"Of course," she stuttered.

"Pyrrha, a lot of things happened last night, let's just say that things got a bit crazy. Yes, I lied to you about being a virgin. Ruby was my first, nothing will ever change that. She and I were great, but then I got with you and it was a whole different level of crazy, but it was all in my heart and I was only crazy about you. So I wanted you to think that the first time we would show our feelings for each other, it was just as special for me as I knew it was for you. Only it ended up that it wasn't special for you at all, since you don't remember it. You didn't even put any effort in, you just lay there!"

Oh, god. It was a mistake to eavesdrop on this conversation. Weiss screwed her eyes shut and hoped they would quieten down or move out of range. Weiss curled herself around Yang's sleeping form for safety, and also in sweet relief that they didn't have to go through the same shit as their friends. It sounded awful, the veil of virginal mystery that Pyrrha had worn as a shroud for the past year was gone. Jaune had ripped it away to reveal the ugly truth. Pyrrha was red hot in almost every aspect, hair, talent, smarts, physique, but apparently she was as limp as a wet noodle in the bedroom. Which was a shame, a real shame. Luckily for her, Jaune loved her unconditionally and this little spanner in the works was probably not going to affect their lovey-dovey big picture in the long run. Short term, however, Weiss wished them both dead so she could get some more shut eye in peace and not have to think about Jaune's penis.

Yang woke up alone, and still tired. She felt like she had been asleep for at least a decade, but she knew that she phased in and out of rest, her mind stubbornly staying active all through what remained of the night and most of the morning. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up, glad that it was a Sunday and she was wise enough not to take the Sunday morning supervision. Her body was knackered, and her brain revolted at having its elevation changed so rapidly so she lay down again. She felt rather delicate, although nothing too bad that she couldn't function. Yang stared wistfully at the door which was slightly ajar, but in the end, she closed her eyes for a mini-nap.

She was not ready to get out of bed quite yet, so she yawned deeply and propped herself up. Thinking of the amazing hot breakfast that Beacon cafeteria provided on weekends, she lazily checked the latest news on Scrollmates. At the bottom of an article about the night of her arrest, and she was relieved to find that the story censored out anything to do with her or Weiss' involvement, it showed Ash's mugshot and the fact that he was being transported to Winchester Prison in North Vale to await sentencing. She supposed she should be relieved, a dangerous criminal finally off the streets, but since she knew Ash as a person, it made a weird sense of guilt bubble in the pit of her stomach. She swiped the article away and went back to her news feed to find something happier to look at. Their latest photo had amassed almost thirty million hearts, which had to be some kind of record, so it took her some time to dismiss all the notifications of comments letting her know how cute and fabulous they were. As if she needed to be told.

Only when she had completed that task, did she notice the time of day. It was just gone 11am so she had missed the wonderful breakfast she had been dreaming of since she woke up. She let loose a string of harsh swears at herself for being so stupid, and rushed to change into her outfit. She was jogging out of the door, worried that for the first time in memory, she had missed breakfast entirely.

She tripped over flat ground, and bumped into any obstacle that was in her path, inanimate or otherwise. At least three times she was told to watch where she was going, with varying degrees of rudeness, but all she could do was mutter apologies and scuttle past. She almost barged through the rest of her team at the cafeteria doors.

"Yang, you look stressed. What's up?"

"She's hungry. I thought you might like this." Weiss pulled out a polystyrene takeout box from behind her back and opened the lid for Yang to see inside. Sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, fried tomatoes and mushrooms, baked beans, and four slices of buttered toast were the items of the the feast laid before her purple eyes which went wide with shock. She would get to experience her precious breakfast after all.

Yang grabbed the box of food, feeling famished. "Oh my god, I love you." Yang and Weiss both gagged. Ruby and Blake exchanged looks and held their breath.

"Did you just..."

"I think I was definitely talking to the breakfast."

"You're such a Meathead. Only you would get so excited over a bit of food."

"This isn't just any breakfast, Wino. This is the best breakfast in Remnant, and you brought it to me without me asking. So forgive my enthusiasm, I'll try to rein it in next time." Yang's sarcasm was sharp and to the point, and it earned an irksome glare from the heiress. "So what did you eat?"

"Quad shot, double cream, skinny pumpkin spice latte, dash of cinnamon, with four pumps of caramel syrup and whipped cream and chocolate flakes." Weiss probably did not even know how basic she sounded, double cream with skinny milk? Yang slow blinked in disbelief at the ridiculousness of the heiress' coffee order. The overworked barista that served Weiss probably had a secret desire to murder her every time she approached for the sheer audacity to order such a complete and utter diabetes time bomb on a daily basis.

"That's not food, Weiss. I thought we talked about this."

"I'm hungover and I'm having the same massive come down that you are, dipshit. Eating would only make me feel sick." Weiss took a big gulp of her second 'coffee' of the day. Her 20 ounce cup contained 500 calories at least, not including the sweetened whip or other toppings.

Yang sighed and resigned herself to the fact that she would have to be with Weiss all the time to slap shitty food out of her hands. "I still have a lot of work to do with you."

"I liked you better when you were grateful for the breakfast."

It occurred to Yang that she hadn't yet said thank you. She opened the lid and took a big sniff of the meaty and fried food aroma and her eyes did the rest. Weiss' expression softened, knowing she had given Yang an excellent gift and made her extremely happy. Yang held the breakfast to one side so she could give Weiss a thank-you kiss.

"Well, one thing's for sure. The way to Yang's heart is through her stomach." Ruby only spoke up as she felt like it was safe to talk again after the whole 'I love you' debacle. They all laughed because it was so true. The next thing Yang knew, her hand no longer held the weight of her breakfast. Cardin 'Scumbag' Winchester had swiped it to the ground. The food went flying, all the fried goodness splattered on the path, the bacon couldn't be saved.

"So, Schnee, seems like your type is dumb blonde." Cardin had that cruel look in his tiny, squinty eyes and a sneer adorned his mouth.

"It is not!" said Weiss and Jaune, who passed by at that very coincidental moment.

"Are you guys dating? Like, two girls dating? What do you do for sex? What's it called again? Scissoring? Is that what you do, huh?"

"Wouldn't you like to know? Why are you so interested in our sex lives, Cardin? Is it because you lack one of your own?" Weiss wanted to give Yang a high-five for that bitchy backhand of a comeback.

It took him a moment to realise the burn. "Wha- Shut the fuck up, you dirty diesel dyke."

"Dyke? Is that the best you can come up with? Puh-lease. You've had no girlfriends or boyfriends, and you're probably a virgin because your dick and brain are the same size as your playa credentials."

"You don't know what you're talking about, I've had sex at least twice. My dick is fucking huge, you'd probably choke on it."

Yang spun around and drew herself to her full height. Her glowing eyes reached only to his chin, but her shoulders looked proportionally much bigger than his, and his friends took a strategic step back so they were not in the firing line. "Dude, I've had sex more times than you've had hot dinners."

"That makes you a huge dumb blonde slut then."

"So what? You say that like you're not jealous of the game I've got going on. I get what I want, when I want it, and with whom I want it, which is more than I can say for you. You pathetic little shits can only dream of the power I have. I literally have thousands of admirers, guys practically throw themselves at me, left and right. I've never even seen you with a girl, not once, at least not one that you're not bullying or threatening in some way. Maybe if you weren't such jerks to every girl you meet, one might actually consider sleeping with you without being drugged up to the eyeballs. Oh, wait, I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to know that." Weiss was behind Yang, doing an imaginary cheer for her, praising how she was effectively kicking their asses without actually laying a finger on them.

"Hey, shut up! People are gonna hear you!"

"Dove was so nervous that he drank from his victim's glass and ended up blacked out in the courtyard fountain. Ha, I bet you didn't even remember doing that."

"Fuck you!"

"In your dreams, loser."

"Don't you walk away from me, dyke, we're not done yet."

"Bite me, frat boy."

"Come back here and fight me like the man that you are!"

"Oh, really, you want to fight me, do you? Do you know who I am? How dumb can you be, challenging me is a huge mistake. You should know that from the last time I kicked your ass in combat tutorial."

"The only mistake is thinking you'll win."

"Try me. Hit me, I dare you. If you even can, that is." Yang pointed her chin out, giving them an easy target. Not that it would help them.

"Yang, wait. Don't attack them first." Blake had watched everything like a hawk, and pulled Yang back at the opportune moment.

"But they're asshats!"

Unbeknownst to Yang, Weiss had drawn her rapier and, with an icy glare, she stabbed the tip into the ground. A large glyph appeared beneath Team CRDL, and they came to a halt, frozen, but not by ice. Weiss' insanely powerful glyph had enclosed them in an alternate time stream to the rest of the world, proving that the adept Dust-user was not to be trifled with, especially if you fuck with her girlfriend.

"Aww, Weiss, that's cheating," Yang complained, but with a cheeky grin tugging on her lips.

Weiss jabbed the pommel of Myrtenaster into Cardin's groin. He didn't respond, merely remained statuesque, but he would catch up to the blow soon enough. "I know you could've taken them all while blindfolded and with one-hand tied behind your back, but I think we should avoid being caught getting into more trouble."

Yang knew it was right to skip making a scene and possibly damaging school property and, yet again, ending up in Goodwitch's office. She shrugged and joined in the beating, giving crotch kicks and gut punches to the Team CRDL statues. Blake looked around cautiously, before laying punches on each of their mouths, and spat in Cardin's face. No one saw what Ruby did because she did it at super speed, but she had an extremely smug grin on her face afterwards. Weiss tossed a vial of the infamous red Dust in the centre of them, the flare of the explosion freezing mid-bang.

Team RWBY walked away laughing. They put a decent amount of distance between them before Weiss spun her sword and the flow of time returned to normal. The thumps and thuds of their delayed assault and the resultant pained shouts were immensely satisfying, and the explosion and tremor that followed was the sweetest icing on the cake. They had their scrolls out filming as the thuggish brutes screamed like toddlers in the midst of a gigantic tantrum and flailed about madly, with their clothes on fire. Not a single member of Team CRDL was wearing pants and Ruby found this hilarious, guffawing as they stumbled in their haste and tripped over trying to tear their flaming pants from around their ankles. Yang and Weiss howled with scathing laughter when a butt-naked Dove voluntarily leapt into the fountain to douse the fierce flames, and the others jumped in too, sizzling in the cool water.

Cardin's head twisted so he could glare at Team RWBY. He rose out of the water, hell-bent on exacting revenge for the humiliating prank, but he felt a breeze on his ballsack and he was attracting a lot of laughter. The tighty-not-so-white-anymore-whiteys he was wearing had been singed, creating a hole that usually covered his vital area and upon realising, he hid himself with his hands and sat back down, out for the count. Hundreds of people saw the whole debacle pissed themselves laughing and took pictures. Cardin Winchester, whether he liked it or not, was about to go viral and become a meme.

"Looks like those boys really went up in smoke."

"Man, they've had it coming for ages, but I'm glad we got to them first."

"Yeah, their egos took a real beat down."

"Woo! Yay us! Team RWBY one, Team Scumbags nil."

Blake looked over her shoulder and checked her scroll. "Well, that was fun, guys. I'll see you later."

"Where are you off to?"

"Just gonna chill with some people. See ya." The last thing they saw of Blake was her black scarf trailing away into the distance.

"Ok, so, apparently that's a thing. What are we doing about it?"

All eyes were on Ruby. "Let her do want she wants." Ruby got less complaints that way, but she wasn't happy about it. "What are your plans?"

"Not sure yet."

"Recover," Yang said firmly. "I need to eat something." Yang acknowledged the pun potential of her statement, and said them all to Weiss by winking at her. Weiss smiled despite pretending to be annoyed.

"Cool, let's go to the mall. I can get some parts that I need."

By the time the trio were stepping out of the main campus gate, Yang's patience was already wearing thin. It was such a shame that Ruby decided that now was the time to chat away passionately about anything and everything she had held inside while her friends were too busy for her. When they sat down for their meal, Ruby became as annoying as software updates. She ordered herself a three-course meal purely of desserts, while Yang ate her huge club sandwich with everything, and a superfood smoothie on the side. Weiss was only going to have more coffee, but Yang deliberating whether to have the sandwich or a huge portion of pasta whet her appetite so she joined them to eat. Yang observed carefully as she decided what to order, she did a mini victory dance when Weiss ordered a fish fillet, altered to be grilled and not fried in butter, with a baked potato and a large salad. Weiss opted to take a photo of her food, and posted that instead of a selfie. There was only so much her beautifying editing suite could do, and Yang agreed that it was best to keep their hangovers private.

They let Ruby talk at them, not that they could stop her, but it helped to keep their minds off their livers protesting the fact that it had to clean so much poison out of their bodies. Yang and Weiss felt a lot better after their meal, they had gotten their detox off to a good start. They wasted a few hours in the shops, Ruby led the way, while Yang and Weiss trailed after her, with their puffy panda eyes hidden behind large, round shades. Weiss made no secret of how relieved she was when Ruby decided it was time to go home, and Yang inwardly agreed, but she had started to smile along with her sister. There was no sign of Blake when they got back to their dorm, but there was a pile of boxes waiting for them outside the door.

Weiss knew immediately what the delivery was, she had spent many hours reading some informative and some equally uninformative articles about the products she had ordered. She decided she had gleaned enough from reading between the lines of the sales pitch and the more unbiased independent review of each substance. Being Weiss, she couldn't just leave it at that, she had to go deeper, searching the company registry for the reliability of the corporations behind the manufacture, how long they had been in operation, scrutinising the balance sheet for an indication of turnover and profit. The few brands that passed her stringent requirements coincidentally all had one thing in common - they were owned by a holding company from Atlas, which, surprise surprise, paid large dividends to the Schnee Dust Company. She doubled checked the certificates of purity, making sure none of the credentials were faked. It would be so typical if she later found out that there had been Dust-doping scandals involving the products she was buying, but she stopped short of emailing head office to ask for the regulatory audit report.

Weiss knifed open the cardboard, taking out the packing filler, to get to her prize. Pill bottles rattled as she arranged them on her bed, logo up. Yang peered over her shoulder at all the goodies she had pulled out of the box.

"Wow, you really went all out. There's everything here."

"I did a bit of research and got what I think I need."

"You don't need this stuff. I don't use it," Yang said, picking up and shaking a bottle of pills as if she expected something different from a rattle.

"Yeah, but apparently, it helps. So I'm trying it."

Yang stared at the shiny label with an energising slogan, trying not to be attracted to words like 'Xtreme' 'BEASTLY' and 'Anabolic'. "Hey, do you think I could borrow some?"

"No need. I got you your own box, of course." Weiss tossed her another box. Yang opened the flaps and dug through the packing peanuts, pulling out bottles and jugs of workout supplements.

"Whoa, what is all this stuff?" Ruby said.

"Sis, you won't believe it. Weiss has become a bodybuilder. Look who's the meathead now."

"What?!"

"Yeah, look what she got me."

"Creatine? Glutamine? Are these steroids?"

"No!" Yang and Weiss shouted together.

"Creatine is a natural amino acid produced by the body, as is glutamine. Both increase training results through different pathways, creatine is an instant energy source for muscle tissue, helps you to train longer and harder. Glutamine restores the sapped energy in your muscles when you're done, your body converts it into glycogen and stores it in your muscles, excess is stored in the liver as back up."

"Oooh, look at you, with your scientific facts and physiology knowledge."

Yang was more than impressed with Weiss' new knowledge. "She's right, though, Ruby. I don't even know enough to tell whether there's anything missing. Oh hey, another box."

"Oooooh, I wanna open something!"

"Shit, Ruby, it's meant to be for-"

Too late, Ruby tore open the plain brown packaging and out of it spilled several plastic wrapped dildos. "Damn, Weiss, what are these?"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing that you need to think about." Weiss made a diving leap to grab the phallus that Ruby had picked up and begun inspecting. She knocked the younger girl over and they landed on the floor in a tangle of limbs.

"Well, fuck me," Yang said to herself, as she tidied away the dildos and vibrators to quickly get them out of sight. She smirked as she supposed that's exactly what Weiss was planning. Similar to the supplements, Weiss went all out. There was everything, rabbits, double-sided, glass, ribbed, vibrating, big, small and checking the box again, there was a black harness stuck in the corner. Looking at it made her heart beat faster, oh, the fun she and Weiss would have with this. She pulled it out and a tiny box fell out with it. Inside was a bullet that claimed to have three levels of intensity and ten vibration patterns and most importantly, a remote control setting. She slipped it into her pocket.

Weiss and Ruby were rolling around and wrestling on the ground, Weiss was desperate to wrench the black, shiny dildo away from Ruby. Yang could've intervened, but she was more than amused watching Weiss try to get the better of Ruby. Yang and Ruby used to playfight like that all the time back when they were kids, except not over a dildo, clearly. Weiss was on top, but that changed in about 30 seconds, as Ruby squirmed her way out from under her. Ruby belly flopped on top of Weiss, flattening her and quickly gained control of her limbs.

"Ha, pinned ya." Ruby held the shrinkwrapped dildo behind her back, and moved easily to get away from Weiss and her grabbing hands, while she sat on Weiss' hips.

"Little help?" Weiss appealed to Yang.

"No way," she said, leaning against the doorframe with her arms folded while she watched the entertainment. Yang wasn't a seasoned gambler, but she'd bet that the odds were close between Weiss and her sister, even though Ruby's only past playfight opponent had been Yang who played pretty rough, let's be honest.

"You want this?" Ruby taunted, showing it to Weiss and then switching hands when Weiss reached for it. Weiss heaved Ruby off and over again, so she was on top. Ruby had her prize underneath her in a death grip and she held Weiss away with one hand on her face. Weiss did the only thing she could think of and tickled Ruby under the arms until she gigglesquealed and jerked frantically to get away from Weiss' cunning fingers. Ruby only had one hand to defend herself with, so it wasn't going well for her. Weiss had access to all her ticklish parts, and she was taking full advantage. It looked a lot less one-sided now that Weiss had figured out Ruby's one great weakness. Somehow, Ruby managed to roll them over yet again and held the dildo high above Weiss' reach.

Weiss was getting flustered and grumpy, she had definitely lost her cool a while ago. Yang thought she should put her out of her misery soon, but Weiss growled and planted her feet flat on the ground, using her glutes to throw Ruby up and off her. The leader yelped as she went into the air, and her hands flailed wildly as she tried to catch her balance. Weiss snatched the dildo and tossed it to Yang. Her eyes went wide as dinner plates when she saw the size and style of this dildo, it was massive, her hand barely made it halfway around, and it had realistic veins all the way to the tip which was carved into a helmet, and a pair of massive balls at the base. "Whoa."

Ruby and Weiss untangled themselves, and Yang quickly hid the dildo behind her back. Ruby faced her sister. "Yang, what is that?" Yang didn't have time to answer because Ruby was sneak tickled on the sides of her waist and she crumpled to the floor. Weiss occupied Ruby by not letting her breathe, she was in fits of teary laughter so Yang could side step and keep her back away from Ruby. Silly of them really. Ruby had already seen it, she'd already held it, she knew what it was. She wasn't that naive, not like Pyrrha. It was probably best to hide some of the more exotic toys, the less Ruby thought about the two of them going at it, the better. Her recent clingy, controlling behaviour was getting on their nerves, and they would sneak away to make out and make up more excuses to get away the next time.

All the sex toys were put away, so Weiss passed a sly glance over to Yang, as an indication that they needed to ditch Ruby. "Uhhh, I'm headed out to get some, uh, food. Weiss, are you coming?"

Weiss couldn't be less impressed with Yang's attempt at a lie. They'd just come back from brunch. "Sure, let's go."

Yang turned to Ruby, preparing a long list of excuses of why Ruby couldn't come with them this time. The younger sister rolled her eyes and gave her a glare that pierced right through Yang's cock and bull story. "Just go."

They went only five steps before linking hands and talking about Ruby as if she couldn't hear them. When they turned around, they saw only the rose petals Ruby left behind. Yang stopped suddenly, feeling a strong buzzing from between her boobs. Weiss felt it too, and heard the familiar klaxon of the Beacon Command incoming message alarm. Weiss checked her notification and opened it instantly. "Our results."

"Good luck, not that you need it."

"FAIL?!" Weiss twitched like her body was about to turn inside out. "How the fuck did we fail? I never fail. I worked so hard, and so did you. There must be some mistake." She was too shocked to process the fact that she had not reached her usual standards. Yang backed away, she could tell Weiss was beginning to freak out.

Yang chewed her bottom lip. "Uhh, come to think of it, we probably could've spent a bit more time in the library."

"Ruby passed and I've never seen her in the library."

"That's because she doesn't have an indoor voice. I can't believe I failed. Again. After all that." Yang's forearms grew a roadmap of veins as she clenched her fists and let out a grunt. "Blake's gonna be so mad at me. I promised I'd work harder, I failed her more than anything."

"What about me? I've been tutoring you, and I thought I was doing so well, I'm sorry I clearly wasn't good enough." She gasped. That had never been true, ever in her life. Sometimes she fell slightly short of the best, but she was always good enough according to normal, non-Schnee standards. "Shit, I've never failed an exam before. My lifelong perfect record of straight As is ruined."

"Don't worry, you get a second chance. We have two days to prep for the re-sit. It's not nearly as bad the second time."

Weiss let out an irritated grunt, she was still pissed off that she would have to take the test a second time at all. "Yeah, but I'm sure Blake and Ruby will be thrilled that they have to do this all over again. They did fine the first time. This is shit, total shit. I demand a recount."

"It doesn't work like that." Yang pulled apart Weiss' crossed arms and sighed. "I'm sorry I got you into this mess, but in my defense, I told you so."

Weiss shook her off. "Don't be sorry. I'm pissed at myself. It was my responsibility to make sure you passed, and I can't even pass the damn test myself. Father's going to be so angry. No, worse, he'll be pleased and say I don't belong here. I hope it doesn't go on my permanent record, you said there's a second chance."

"Yeah, in two days. They recycle questions all the time, there's a chance that you'll already have all the answers." Yang hoped that would pacify her, and put a stop of her loud and obnoxious worrying. But just in case, she slipped in behind Weiss and embraced her in the sweetest cuddle. "I'm sorry I fucked up." The first, and hopefully the last time she would ever have to say that to Weiss.

Weiss let go of her anal retentive irritability. "Me too. I guess that'll teach me that hard work beats talent, unless talent gets up and goes to lectures instead of caring about likes and being famous on Scrollmates."

"I think we should stop that for a little while anyway, or at least let it cool off a bit. As awesome as it was having loads of people that followed us like fans, I don't want them to do it again. It was a bit creepy."

"I agree. We should change our profile, maybe put a notice on our front page."

"I think we should get another account with a new name. I know the glamour shots ended up getting the most likes on our page, but, otherwise, it was basically about us and our videos, so why not make a separate page just for that. Make the other one purely for photo shoots."

"But that's our brand, people buy into it already," Weiss said, thinking of the growing number of likes that she had to achieve with every major post, otherwise she would not be satisfied.

"Yeah, but I don't want people to judge me, the person, from those photos. Let that be the brand, so I can just be me. We get those pervs who think that I should be naked all the time, even when we're just messing around on camera. If we had a thing for close friends and family only or whatever, that would be better. The videos that we think are cute, they're the least popular anyway."

Weiss frowned very seriously because every word that Yang spoke was the truth. "There are people that will complain that we don't post those videos anymore, and spread even more hate. I know bad publicity is good publicity, but we can't take something away from our fans that they enjoy. The peasants will revolt."

"Fine, then. Make the new page public, but I'm not posting that we're doing this. Let word spread. Hopefully that'll weed out some of the trolls from the true fans."

Anything that got rid of online trolls was a damn good plan in Weiss' book. "Do you have an idea for a name, what are we gonna call it?"

"It's us, so ΩFreezerBurn?"

"I don't know, I'm not sure I like it."

"Oh come on, I think it suits us. Freezer." She pointed to Weiss and that insufferable but cute grin was back. "Burn." She flipped her hand and jabbed her thumb into her upper chest.

"I suppose it does play into how, on the outside, we're complete opposites."

"See. You do get it. It's clever, huh." Like a pun, nudge nudge.

"Well, if we're going to do this, let's do this properly. I think we should re-design ΩBeaconBabes, make it really upmarket, or sell it."

"Sell it? Hold up, why are we suddenly talking about that?" Before Weiss could speak, Yang interrupted herself. "How much do you think it would be worth?"

"Well, I don't know, but there's like 80,000 Lien sitting in an account I set up. From ad revenue. It's technically ours, but if we withdraw it, we have to declare it to Inland Revenue."

To Yang, that was a shit ton of money, and they had made it in a little over a month. If it kept up, they would be sweet for life. She felt like a millionaire, and millionaires definitely keep their cool about large sums of money, but she had to ask, "What does that mean?"

"We'll have to pay tax on it. I'll have to do some research, but I want to invest it. Put it away in a savings bond. I've seen my father do it a thousand times, then his financial and accounting teams wave their magic wands, and he pays less tax than a crooked nightclub owner."

"Are you proud of that or something? With how much he earns, shouldn't he pay up his share?"

"He thinks he's a genius, and he knows it isn't fair. I've never spoken up about it because I know what he'll say. Look, I know there's a legit way to do all the things my father does. There're many ways to make our money work for us, we only need a bit of patience."

"How much patience?" Yang narrowed her eyes.

"Like, we could retire early. Nobody said we had to be Huntresses forever."

Yang's mind went quiet. Ah yes, the period of time after graduating and becoming a professional Huntress. She'd probably gave about ten second's thought to it when she decided to apply for Beacon. Beyond that, was a grey area. Retire? They hadn't even begun their careers yet.

"I don't think this is the right career if you want to get rich." A successful Huntsman was a non-dead one, not one with great wealth. Although, some had managed to achieve it, affluent Huntsmen were rare.

"I'm not doing it to get rich, obviously. I'm a Huntress because that's what I want to be."

"But-"

"Think about it, I could do anything, literally anything, I wanted. I chose this. I'm not in it for the money, I'm in it for the satisfaction of knowing that I put my talents to good use in order to help people. Which I would do without monetary gain, anyway. Don't look at me like that, I know it's not like I'm poor but, wouldn't you be happier if money wasn't a major concern in your life?" Everyone wanted that, deep down. Yang couldn't deny it. "I obviously don't need it. You earned that money, it's yours if you want it."

"But I wouldn't have got it at all without you. I wanna do your thing, what you said."

"This is the best decision you've ever made in your life. Thank you, for trusting me." She kissed Yang on the cheek. "Oh, except for deciding to date me. That better be number one."

Yang chuckled. Weiss was right, but a bit cheeky to mention it. Yang picked up the bottle that they were saving for a special occasion and got the ice bucket.

"Oh. What's this for?"

"I'm fucking rich, and I had no idea. This is a cause for celebration." Yang struggled with the foil and the cage, but the cork popped with satisfying loudness. The champagne over fizzed, and Yang began the night by drinking straight from the bottle, before she lost any more bubbles to the floor.


	8. Chapter 6: The Yangover Part II

**A/N: Well apparently, I was a bit too ambitious and it didn't turn out as long as I expected. Never mind. The next chapter more than makes up for it, promise. This is still filler. Feel free to skip to the end.**

 **Chapter 6: The Yangover Part II**

Weiss coughed herself out of sleep. Her body hated her, but like a cruel fleeting dream, she failed to remember what she had done to it. A grunt came from her throat, it reminded her that she was supposed to keep breathing. She coughed again, feeling not at all healthy. Weiss was bent at an odd angle, lying on an unidentified lumpy mass of cloth. Her hip was sore from where it was leaning directly on the carpet. Yang was snoring next to her, so at least there was that.

"Yang!" Weiss had to slap her awake. Yang blurted out some gibberish as she woke with a start, and wiped away the drool down her chin.

"What the fuck happened?" Yang muttered, "where am I?" Yang's eyes were too lazy to focus and move at the same time. She turned her head an inch. "Oh, thank fuck for that. We're at home."

Yang rolled over to extract the crinkled up pantyhose that had taken root in her arse crack. Weiss' leg followed Yang, so quick that Weiss was dragged along the floor, adding to her carpet burns. Seemed like they were tied together. Weiss steeled herself to take a look. Tangled around the ankles of both girls was the black leather harness, and Weiss noticed that it was loaded.

"Don't suppose we did any studying then." Weiss swore repeatedly under her breath as they freed themselves.

"Well, from the taste in my mouth, I'm guessing we had a lot of dirty sex and drank…" Yang looked around at the multitude of opened and half-empty bottles of wine. "I think we drank an entire liquor store. Ow, my head is killing me."

"Fuck, it's uncomfortable sleeping on the floor."

Yang dabbed at the skin down her front that was sticky in patches. "I think you did shots off my abs."

"I think it was probably your tits."

There was also a white, dusty residue on her skin, in the small crevices mainly, like her bellybutton.

"What is that?" Yang showed Weiss her fingers covered in clumps of whitish crystals. To be honest, with the potential body shot situation, that powder could be salt. Yang rubbed it between her fingers and tentatively tasted it with the tip of her tongue, gritting her teeth when she realised that the crystals were definitely not salt. It did not surprise her cocaine was involved with last night, but surely, she would remember something like that. Her nose would know if she had, the surface membranes would be eroded and sore as fuck today. Snot would flow out of her snorting nostril like a leaky tap. Yang sniffed, and then groaned, she could feel where she had chewed a hole in her cheek. Fucking cocaine. Yang shook her head, massively disappointed in herself.

"Oh. So that's why my throat feels like I swallowed barbed wire." Weiss spied the mirror and razor blade she had been using to cut lines. No sign of any wraps though. She was hoping that they got rid of it all, by snorting it or whatever. Weiss wiped her nose with a random piece of clothing she found underneath her body.

"Of all the stupid things I've done in my life, I think drugs are the stupidest. Ugh, I feel really sick and my head is killing me. Where's Ruby and Blake?"

A scroll beeped from an unknown location in the room. "Scroll. Where's my scroll?" Weiss crawled towards the tinkling noise. "Oh, a text from Ruby. 'Hey guys don't worry about me if I come back late. I'm watching a movie and then having a sleepover with Team JNPR.' Well, I guess that means that she can't tell us what happened."

"What about Blake?"

"What about her? She may have made a special exception yesterday, but she doesn't hang out with us anymore. She's busy with her other friends, so we can't really rely on her to tell us what happened. Someone must've heard something, look at this place." Weiss used the scroll as a pointer, gesturing to the catastrophe that was their room.

"Uh, Weiss, that's mine." Yang pointed to the device in Weiss' hand.

"Oh, shit. Where the fuck is my scroll? Is it in the room? Please tell me it's in the room." There was a tense moment as Weiss sent a ping to her scroll but there was no reply, except for birds tweeting ironically.

"Fuck!" Weiss screamed, but she had to cough up a lung afterwards. Yang was quick to pat her on the back, to help get it all out. Weiss held her face in unsteady hands. "I'm so screwed without that. We need to find it. Where have we been, if not here? What the fuck did we do last night?"

Yang frowned thoughtfully. "Check the news feed. What did we post?" It was not the worst idea Yang had ever had. Weiss logged in, hoping for a gold mine of information. There should be a trail that they could follow, update by update.

"Only a hundred selfies, all from the same place, some pub in Birmingham."

"Where's Birmingham again?"

"Says it's near Essex."

Yang searched through her vague memories. She could not recall leaving their dorm, but they must have, because the selfies proved that she was recognised while they were partying downtown. She scanned the faces in their group selfies, they were all strangers to her. She scratched her head, there was a big hole after she started on the champagne to when she woke up this morning. "I still don't know where that is."

"This isn't helping us find out what happened last night. Where did we go other than Birmingham?"

"Check your receipts. Bar receipts, they'll tell us where we went."

"My purse, please. Oh god, please tell me my purse is here." Yang crawled over to where Weiss dumped her bag. She tossed it over to Weiss, and about a hundred crumpled up receipts fell out, along with a whole bunch of paper currency. "Whoa, apparently, I withdrew a lot of cash at an ATM in The World's End."

"But that's-"

"In Camden," they both said, in horror, "near that titty bar."

Yang dropped all pretenses of being ok with all this, her empty mind was now causing her deep frustration. "Why do I have this awful feeling that it has a VIP lounge downstairs that we may have blagged our way into?" Yang wanted to tear up the receipts or burn them, as if that erased the history they represented.

"Because I just found some selfies that prove where we went and a video in the same place that I don't want to watch. We look trashed, I can see why we didn't post these."

"Why, what is it?"

"Look at the thumbnail." An almost naked Yang was swinging around on a pole, somewhat clumsily, but she had everyone in the whole club cheering and chucking money at her. Yang pressed play, and recoiled in horror at what she saw. She was clearly off her face, but her moves were pretty good when she managed to avoid falling. Weiss doubted that she could claim that she was more sober than Yang because the video quality was abominable, and her loud whoops and screams were picked up by the scroll microphone. Not good.

"Oh my god, delete, delete, delete!"

Weiss made a secret copy of the video and deleted the original in front of Yang. "Well, it's pretty safe to say that I don't think we'll be able to show our faces there again. We have no idea how we acted in that place, apart from that one video and in it, we made fools of ourselves."

"I definitely didn't like being refused entry somewhere, I prefer that not to happen ever again."

"Although, and this is just a guess here, but I don't think our night finished when we got home." Weiss indicated the almost ritualistic arrangement of phalluses surrounding them. "Do you think we used all of them?"

Yang stared around in deranged wonderment, not a single toy sparked any memory. Yang nodded slowly. No need for close inspection, some of them still had wispy trails of silicon lube dangling off them. Or was it girl cum? She knew they had done butt stuff, she could tell her sphincter had been stretched only hours before this. "I still don't understand how we did all that shit and don't remember it at all. Like, nothing. It's just blank."

"Me too, I've never had a blackout this bad before."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. Don't feel bad."

"But I do, 'cos you're upset."

"I'm not, I just- I'll never remember doing things with you for the first time."

"We'll just have to make new memories, then." Yang said, brushing her hand over Weiss' thigh, aiming for the wetness between her legs. Weiss' head rolled back into the scrunched up bunch of clothes she had used as a pillow, which in any other situation would be vastly uncomfortable, but Weiss felt like she was floating. Yang kissed and sucked each nipple bud as her fingers sought out Weiss' wet hole to bury themselves in. Weiss moaned and let her legs fall open. This wasn't so bad, she might've forgotten all the sex she enjoyed last night, but knowing them, it was hella good. As Yang's thumb swiped over her clit, Weiss clenched and gasped, she could feel the full-body soreness from their marathon fuck session.

Weiss heard the door open, only just. She opened one eye to peek at the growing crack of light coming from between the door and its frame. The disembodied head and arm of Cardin Winchester poked through the gap and sneered, holding his scroll camera up with the flash on. Weiss heard several false shutter sounds as he snapped photos of them, catching them red handed and red faced. He sniggered and then threw it at them, but he was off-target and it hit the floor some two yards away. Yang didn't seem to notice until he slammed the door, then her face went white as a sheet.

"He saw us, didn't he?"

"His camera saw us too, which is what worries me." Weiss fidgeted, stressed because she had a terrible feeling of deja vu. "Yang, something's coming back. That's my scroll, he had my scroll. I need to see what's on it, right now." Weiss dragged herself up and began to get dressed, hiding herself as if Cardin was standing there at the door. She pulled together a mismatched outfit from the heaps of junk. It was all she could find. She chucked some unidentified clothing at Yang. She caught the clothes, but didn't feel any urgency to get dressed. Weiss picked up her scroll like it was a live bomb.

"He fucking broke it. Or the battery's dead." She placed it on the charging pad. "I've got this awful feeling, I think something bad happened last night."

"What do you mean exactly?"

"I'm remembering something… We left the door open again, he must've walked in on us."

Yang squinted, incredulous. "And we let him watch?"

Weiss shrugged, something clicked, and then she freaked the fuck out. "I DON'T KNOW, WHY WOULD WE LET HIM WATCH? In what fucking universe would we give Cardin Winchester a private peep show? Did we lose our fucking minds?!"

"Shhh! We can't really talk, not after our performance in that club. But, Cardin, _seriously_? He must've sweet talked his way inside and then we thought it would be a good idea if..." Yang left her sentence hanging. Yang was internally begging for it not to be true. Maybe it was time for her to put on some pants.

"I WOULD NEVER DO THAT!" Weiss, of course, assumed the worst.

Yang shushed her aggressively. "We don't know that. What else, do you remember anything else?" Yang put far too much hope in Weiss, and was irrationally angry and upset when Weiss wordlessly panicked, trembling like she was on a Power Plate. Her stomach backflipped, spilling the acid up her throat.

What had they done, they both blurted out in the most opposite tones possible. Weiss stomped about, going kooky at all the mess, all the crap they had left lying around or destroyed. The bunk beds were no longer, Ruby's rope and pulley construction was being held up by practically one thread, Weiss' bed was unusable due to how the top bed was dangling lop-sidedly. The towers of books supporting Yang's bunk had collapsed, the fall had thrown the mattress from the frame. Weiss' mind boggled trying to work out why they had not slept on the mattress that was next to them on the floor.

The bathroom had thankfully escaped the majority of destruction, but there were a few unusual items found in the bath, like rollerblades (just the one, actually), a teddy bear with no head (head presumably missing or destroyed), and some recently used hedge trimmers (#lolwtf). Weiss was terrified of looking in the mirror. Yesterday was bad enough, she could not imagine that she had ever looked any less human than this, judging by how she could feel a pneumatic drill operating at full throttle inside her skull. Her face was abysmal, no amount of foundation would cover how washed out and tired she looked. At least she didn't have a permanent marker dick on her face like the last time she woke up without complete recollection of the night before. Plus, she still had both her eyebrows. Winning.

"Ugh! Someone did a shit, and didn't flush!"

"But, it could have been you. We don't remember which of us did it, but we need to talk to someone who does because I would like to know the story of what happened if it wasn't us."

"If it comes back to me, I'll be sure to let you be the first to know." Weiss said, in her semi-sarcastic voice. Yang growled at her, now was not the time for sass.

There was a single sharp knock at the door, Weiss was sure that she entered cardiac arrest momentarily. The edges of her vision were blurred by encroaching black snow and she forgot how to breathe.

Weiss panicked. "Cardin, I thought I told you to fuck off!"

"Delivery!"

Yang whispered, although she was kinda stressed so it was more of a hushed shout. "Is it a trick? Does that sound like Cardin?"

"Uhhh, the name on the order is Schnee."

"Wow, that was fast. If this is what I think it is." Weiss opened the door for one second to snatch the package out of the courier's hand, and again for one more second to thank him and apologise.

"What you got there?"

"There was an item missing on my order, it was sort of a little surprise for you. Showing you this way is a bit less dramatic than I imagined, but anyway." Weiss ripped the red strip off the padded envelope, and a small box slid onto her palm when she tipped it over. The brand name and pictures were giving Yang deja vu.

"Oh, you mean this?" she said, plucking an identical box from her jacket pocket.

"Where did you get that?"

"It came in the box, and I hid it from Ruby. I kind of forgot about it until now."

"I didn't see it in there, so I thought it never came and ordered a replacement."

"Well, now we can both have one."

"It must've been the only thing that we didn't use."

"What about the big one, who used that?"

"You, obviously."

"Me?"

"Yeah, 'cos it sure as hell wasn't me. That thing is about the size of my arm, I could never fit it inside me."

Yang raised an eyebrow and gave her a dubious look. "Hmf. Charming." Weiss fixed her with a pointed glance and then growled at her. They heard a door slam and both winced at the bang. A door opened, but it sounded like someone got knocked on their heavy ass. They crept over to their door, listening through it.

"Pyrrha, please!" Jaune whined.

"Don't talk to me! Why does everything need to be about sex?"

"Wait, Pyrrha, I didn't mean it like that. It was a joke, just a joke. Please come out and talk to me!"

"They're arguing again."

"Again?" Weiss nodded and put her finger over Yang's mouth. They opened their door an inch in time to see Pyrrha zip past the open doorway in just a towel, or possibly a bedsheet.

"I knew this would happen, I knew once I gave you my trust, that you would become obsessed."

"I'm not obsessed!" Of course, he was. He was a teenage lad and sex is hella great, even a shitty shag was better than a really good wank.

"Then why is it the only thing you can talk about? Now, it's the only thing you think about when you look at me and that is exactly what I was afraid of."

"Come on, Pyrrha, that's not even true, I was only trying to make a joke. Ok, it was stupid, I thought you'd get the sports reference. I mean, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Oh, god…"

Jaune flew past them as he went hurtling out of his door. His metal armour prevented him from running back inside, and before the door slammed a final time, they heard Pyrrha's sobs, muffled from underneath a blanket. Weiss went out into the corridor.

"Jaune?"

He almost tripped when he stopped running. Jaune couldn't fight his learned instinct to respond to the concern in Weiss' voice. "You guys heard that, huh."

"I take it you suggested that you guys should try again? Sorry, I know your first go was a disaster, I heard you… discussing it yesterday."

Jaune's lips pursed and he grumbled, but agreed. "It wasn't just a suggestion, we actually did it."

"Are you an idiot?"

"Obviously, yes!"

"Chill, nobody's first time is perfect. Sometimes the second time is a bit of a mixed bag. I wouldn't worry about it, dude. It's normal. Get back in there, champ. Winners don't quit." Yang's hands jumped on his shoulders, but she patted him reassuringly and gave him a firm shoulder rub like a boxing coach. He did not seem cheered up by her consolation.

Weiss crossed her arms, and regarded Jaune with intrigue. "She was still awful, wasn't she?"

A look of terror crossed Jaune's face for a second before he sighed. "Yeah." He turned back towards his room. "I don't know what I should do. How do you talk about something like this?"

Yang and Weiss clocked each other with side-eye. "No fucking clue. We don't have that problem."

"Of course you don't." Poor Jaune, he seemed so defeated.

Yang was full of sympathy for not being able to help him with his problem. "Have you tried taking it down a notch? Play around, touch her without expecting it to lead anywhere. Kiss her, but no tongue, make her ask for it."

Weiss, not so much. "Also, have you tried teaching her what you want? Or just tell her. She's a complete virgin, I don't know how much sex education she's had, but it doesn't seem like much."

"But I already screwed it up, now she won't come near me. It's like she doesn't want to know me anymore. She froze up, both times. Said we had to stop, then she apologises like she's done something wrong, says it's not me, it's her. I just want her to feel comfortable with me."

"You know how confident she normally is. She tries to hide it with modesty, but we all know she's the alpha. Except now, she's in unfamiliar territory. She's feeling how you felt when you first started at Beacon, clueless and bewildered. Worst of all, she knows she's bad, which I'm guessing she has very little to no experience dealing with that. She's out of her league, sex is obviously a blind spot for her."

"Well, yeah. But how do I talk to her about it when she plugs her ears and pretends she isn't listening?"

"You gotta slide it into conversation, be smooth. Come on, Lady Killer, this is your avenue."

Weiss' icy heart finally caved, and felt sympathy for him. He looked so sad and worried. He had a cosy life, nobody bullied him anymore because the Invincible Girl protected him fiercely. He started getting decent results in written tests, and he could now swing a sword thanks to Pyrrha and her saint-like patience, teaching him how to fight. They were a staple feature of the school, a power couple, had been for months. She didn't think he could survive school without her anymore. "Take it slow. She's nervous, and, well, embarrassed. She probably won't wanna let you help at first."

"Could you guys try talking to her for me? She saw what you did in the club, and it, uh, piqued her interest."

Yang and Weiss shivered in their boots. It had been such a good idea at the time, but was it worth these consequences? Jaune was asking a lot from them, to rescue his relationship, which, to be fair, they did have a hand in ruining. But on the other hand, this was some crazy shit and Weiss wasn't sure how long she could go along with it. "I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"Please, she'll trust you."

Yang nodded. "We can give it a shot." She was drawing mysterious confidence from somewhere, so Weiss gave her the dramatic side-eye. Yang's hand brushed her right pocket, and Weiss remembered the vibrating bullet. The two vibrating bullets, the matching one was in her bag. Just what the fuck had she gotten herself into.

"Will you? Thank you so, so, so much. I didn't know what else to do. Let me go ask if it's ok for you to come in." Jaune trotted off to knock cautiously at his door.

Slightly shocked that he was allowed inside, and a little bit annoyed that Yang was apparently a-ok diving headfirst into this mess, she whispered, "I really hope Pyrrha will still be our friend after this. Do you have any ideas what we're going to do, or are you just going to wing it, like you normally do?"

Seemed like the little toy in a box laying on her hand had a glowing halo and was singing hymns. "How about, if we get Pyrrha obsessed with sex, that might make everyone happier."

Weiss noticed where Yang's attention lay and became horrified. "Are you serious? She's never gonna touch it, she's like a fourth grader when it comes to adult stuff. You think we could get Pyrrha to actually use one of these?"

Yang opened the box and rolled the vibrator out onto her hand. "Hell yes, but obviously, don't tell her that it's remote controlled." She clicked the button. It sounded a bit like a tiny supercar as it revved up to full speed. "Oh, my."

Weiss squinted at the tiny bullet that was twitching all over Yang's palm. "Not without some serious persuasion. I don't even think I could-"

"Guys, she said it was ok. You can come in."

Yang pressed the button to turn the vibration off, but she only made it stronger, and then it cycled through six different pulse patterns before coming to a silent rest. Jaune held his confused expression for moment before saying, "She's ready for you. I told her what we agreed. She's feeling-" He sighed. "She's willing to try."

"Don't sweat it, Lady Killer. We'll whet her appetite for you."

Weiss' displeasure was higher than how far back she rolled her eyes in response to Yang's comment. Nevertheless, she followed Jaune inside, making the least amount of noise possible with her footsteps. It was dark in there, the drapes were drawn. Even Yang was too nervous to speak first, so silence strangled them all. Previously, it had never been a big thing to be in Team JNPR's dorm. They were all buddies, Ren and Blake had occasionally liked each other's silent company enough to cross over the hall and sit together. Ruby and Nora both liked pancakes a bit too much to be normal, but it gave them something to jabber on about. Yang liked to talk training methods and techniques with Pyrrha, and Weiss liked to converse with someone on the same intellectual level. Jaune was just there, but he did no harm.

"I'll go."

"No, stay Jaune. Please stay." Pyrrha was on the verge of tears, as Jaune left and closed the door behind him. This girl sitting on the bed, wrapped in just a white sheet, with teary eyes was virtually unrecognisable. Yang and Weiss couldn't look her in the face. "Why are you here?"

"Pyrrha, this was not our idea, I don't know what we're supposed to say to you. Jaune may have indicated to us that you were a bit uncomfortable. He thought it might be cool if you could tell us what's wrong and hopefully, we'll have some advice to fix it."

"You had sex in that club."

Yang nodded with increasing vigour and tapped Weiss on the arm until she joined in. "Yeah, we sure did."

"Not the best idea, I might add. It was risky."

"Why did you do that?"

Yang opened her mouth long enough for flies to get in and start paying rent. "I dunno. It was fun, I guess," she said eventually.

"Did you know there were people watching you? Weren't you thinking about what they were saying about you? I mean, sex. You guys had _sex_."

"Yes, but it wasn't like it was the first time. We were drunk, I wouldn't do it sober."

"I would," Yang muttered under her breath. "But anyway, it's not like anyone complained. The club itself was a bit of a dump, I don't think they gave a shit what we did as long as we bought drinks."

"That's what I'm getting at. You can do that, and you got away with it. That's how naturally it comes to you, but why doesn't it work for me?"

"What are you saying?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "It's just something I was never taught. Like the way Yang can dance, and Weiss, I've never seen such a small person absorb so much alcohol in one sitting and still be standing. It makes it ok for you to be like sexy and cool, and I-" She took in a big sniff. "I don't know what that feels like."

Yang and Weiss were stunned. "You're sexy, Pyrrha. Don't you know that?"

"Yeah, didn't you see the picture of you on ΩBeaconBabes had the record of most likes for about three weeks?" A long time on the web, practically an ice age.

"But you guys have actual sex," she whispered. "And you act like it's not a big deal. You've done it before, got the experience. How were you not nervous the first time?"

Drugs for Weiss, and drink for Yang. Both answers were unacceptable. Also, they were nervous, but it didn't stop them. Weiss didn't look like she wanted to talk about it, so Yang had to speak up. "Because it's not a big deal. Sex is natural, it's normal, inbuilt. Is that what's wrong, nerves?"

"I want to be able to be sexy for Jaune."

Uh oh, they were headed into the territory that Weiss was afraid of.

"Trust me, you're already very sexy to Jaune. He's your boyfriend, but if you want to learn to please him. We can help."

"How can you help?"

Yang pointed to the sheet. "Are you wearing anything under that?" Pyrrha shook her head as a knee-jerk reaction. "Relax, it's ok."

"Just trust us, and listen to what we have to say." Weiss waited for a nod to proceed. "Ok, so close your eyes. Imagine you're the only person in the room. You're alone, and you start to get these feelings."

"What kind of feelings?"

"Deep feelings. Like the kind you get when you kiss your boyfriend."

"Like how much I love Jaune?"

"No." Weiss said in a tone of disgust. "I mean, yeah totally. But I don't just mean any kiss, Pyrrha. The kind of kiss that makes you feel hot and worked up."

"Worked up?"

"Yeah." Weiss stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "You know, horny. So you want to have sex, you know what I mean, right?" Pyrrha's face was blank. "Seriously, you don't know what I mean?"

"You want us to show you?"

Weiss shot Yang a glare that was so sharp Yang was sure she heard a sound of a blade being unsheathed. Weiss rolled her eyes and begrudgingly accepted what was going to happen. Yang giggled first. They tried, but they couldn't stay serious with everything going on at the moment. They kept it mostly clean, compared to how they usually were. Yang memorised that kiss. She would recognise it later as Weiss' _fuck me now_ kiss.

Pyrrha let go of the breath she was holding, visibly flustered. "No, we don't kiss like that."

Yang cocked her eyebrow. "How do you kiss then?"

"Less… enthusiastically."

"Tongue?"

"No, we never kiss with tongue."

"How many times have you kissed Jaune?" Yang squinted at her incredulously.

Pyrrha blinked once. "Seven."

"Seven? Including yesterday?"

"Well, I don't remember everything. Certainly a few things I prefer not to recall."

Weiss breathed a sigh. "This probably isn't going to work, Pyrrha. Sorry, but we tried. I don't think there's anything we can do to help."

"Wait, wait. I know I'm bad at this, please I do need your help."

"What happened both times, you're gonna have to tell us."

Pyrrha raised a fold of the sheet so it covered her mouth and the lower half of her blushing face. "I can't. It's too embarrassing."

"You remember everything, don't you? You lied to him about your blackout."

"He lied to me first! He lied about Ruby. I can't believe everyone knew, except me."

"Trust me, I'd prefer not knowing myself. I'm on your side, I wish he'd never touched her."

"Everyone has had sex, except me. Everyone, even Ruby."

Yang was about to talk, but Weiss scoffed in her direction. "How about we stop talking about other people? This is about you, Pyrrha." Weiss snapped, waving her hand at the ongoing situation of Pyrrha learning the secrets of her own body. Yang obeyed orders, and shut her mouth.

"So what do you remember?"

"I think I did kiss Jaune, and I think, perhaps, there may have been tongue involved."

"So when you kiss him, you would touch him too. And he'd touch you."

Yang tensed as Weiss' fingers skimmed Pyrrha's thighs. She knew it worked because Pyrrha twitched, and took in a sharp breath. 'Just a bit closer' she wanted to whisper. 'Don't fucking touch her' she wanted to yell.

"Did you like it when he touched you there?"

"Mhm." Pyrrha nodded with her eyes firmly closed. "It feels good."

"Put your fingers were you liked to be touched." Pyrrha stared at Weiss with big, wet doe eyes and a trembling bottom lip. "Don't be shy. This will help. Hold this." Weiss put the silver bullet in Pyrrha's hand.

Pyrrha inhaled sharply as Weiss' fingers slithered over her abs. She gently nudged Pyrrha's hand towards her crotch, putting pressure on her to make first contact. Pyrrha squirmed, even through the sheet, she was averse to touching herself there. Weiss' fingers directed Pyrrha's to cup her warm mound, and sat back to examine Pyrrha's face. She was biting her lip, obviously trying to suppress any sounds she might make. Her eyes were closed again, as if she were too scared to look.

Yang watched intently, she had to. She had her arm around Weiss, putting a small but evident wedge between her and Pyrrha. The sight of Weiss being bizarrely intimate, mindfucked her to make her feel like she was also doing the touching as well as being the one being touched. It was easy for her to be fooled, Pyrrha's build was very similar to her own, except Pyrrha had a good few inches on her in height. They regularly alternated in being the leanest, depending on who was bloated that day.

Pyrrha inspected the small object in her hand. The smooth metal was warm to the touch where Weiss had been gripping it. The purpose of the item was not immediately apparent to Pyrrha. She cautiously ran her thumb over the control switch. She nearly dropped it when she realised what it does. "Weiss, I'm frightened." She handed the bullet back to Weiss.

"What are you afraid of?"

"Losing control."

"It'll be ok, I promise. This is all going to help. Trust me. Pyrrha, need you to open the sheet now."

Pyrrha nearly sobbed. "No."

"Please, I asked nicely." Pyrrha stubbornly shook her head. Weiss sighed. "Yang, hold her down."

Yang's quick submission hold was gentle but effective, Pyrrha was too busy defending her modesty to stop her. They wrestled for about three seconds, that was all it took for Yang to get on top. She held Pyrrha's arms above her head, and had her thick, heavy thighs pinning down Pyrrha's shoulders. Weiss was free to remove the sheet anytime she wanted. Off it came, Weiss was dumbstruck by the view. Pyrrha was more than sexy, her physique was phenomenal. Was her body better than Yang's, that was a dangerous route for Weiss' mind to go down because goddamn, the comparison was so close. One thing was for sure, Pyrrha was insane to be so insecure.

"Wow."

Weiss pulled down the hands that had gone to hide Pyrrha's excruciatingly red face, and tried to coax them back towards Pyrrha's crotch. She let out a vulnerable whimper as she lightly fingered her most intimate place, but her body moved towards her hand, seeking out the touch. The room shuddered with Pyrrha. Yang caught Weiss' eye. _This is what Pyrrha meant_.

"Pyrrha, stop fighting. Let go of your fear, this isn't dangerous." Weiss' hand was more stern now, using her muscles to keep Pyrrha engaged with her pussy.

The metal in the room and building creaked loudly and started to rumble. It occurred to Weiss that Pyrrha could literally kill them in the blink of an eye at any time she wanted, basically, or if she suddenly went off the deep end and went crazy, there would be a lot of people in danger.

"Look at me, Pyrrha, focus on me."

"What are you doing?"

Weiss brandished the vibrator, clicking it on. "Trust me." Pyrrha's eyes grew to the size of ferris wheels at the noise coming from the little device. Weiss presented it to her with sincere altruism.

"Forget about everything else, Pyrrha. Just focus on this." The bullet rose into the air out of Weiss' hand. Both Weiss and Yang watched in awe, as it had an appreciable amount of air time, before it zoomed straight in between the legs of Pyrrha Nikos. Yang had to hold in her laugh as she matched the side-eye from Weiss, who was smug and smirking as she was very pleased with herself indeed. Pyrrha gasped and mumbled incoherently. Yang could feel her temperature rising and let her go.

"It's all you. You got it."

Yang and Weiss stood up, and held onto each other. Sparks surged through them as Jaune knocked on the door. "Hey, is everything all right? I can hear weird noises."

Weiss snuck him into his own bedroom and nodded for Yang to get going. Jaune stood there, like he had been struck by lightning. His mouth twitched, but words failed him. Weiss pushed his deadweight forwards.

Yang grinned and winked. "Go, go, go, soldier. March!" Yang spanked Jaune's ass as he stumbled past.

Once outside, with the door firmly shut behind them and locked from the inside, Yang breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Ok, I have to say this, and this is coming from me, but that was the weirdest sexual experience I've ever had."

"Yes, I can't disagree with you there. That was, by far, the most bizarre fifteen minutes of my life."

"Let's never speak of this again."

"Agreed."

"So, on this totally normal, completely uneventful morning, what shall we do?"

"Well, study for the re-sit for starters. Oh, and we have to fix our room in order to do that. Don't tell anyone this, but I really don't care anymore. Is that bad?"

"You don't care?!"

Weiss shrugged. "I have enough credits to pass."

"Oh right, yeah, your grade is averaged out over the whole year so you'll be fine. Me, on the other hand."

Weiss took a deep breath. "I won't let you fail. I'll think of something."

Entering their dorm while the bright noon sun filled the room with horrid but beautiful, truth-bearing light, gave them a much needed reality check. Their sins were now vivid and disgraceful, painting a wild picture of the previous night. Weiss finally worked out why they didn't sleep on the mattress. There was a massive fucking bloodstain underneath it, and since Yang's mattress had been lying on top of it all night, it had soaked through to the springs. Yang's first thought made her sick, who had she assaulted this time? This was a diabolical disaster. Weiss wasn't sure what was worse, the fact that she still couldn't remember a single fucking thing about last night, or the fact that they had to face the music today and fix everything without any foreknowledge.

Weiss wanted to scream at the world when her scroll began to beep incessantly. Who would send that many texts? But on the bright side, at least her battery was charged. Screaming was insufficient to display the rage she felt when she opened the message stream. Clear and blurry pictures of them, naked, being intimate, obviously taken this morning when Cardin poked his head around the door. She stabbed at her touch screen to delete those. But a video message and a file from Cardin made her stomach plummet down to the basement. She pressed play on the video message, without knowing that she was changing her life forever.

"Hi." Cardin waved. "I just want to start out by saying, don't hate me. You're the ones responsible. Go ahead, take a look at that little file I sent you." he was saying, sweet and sarcastic. "I think you'll find it very interesting, and then once you've heard what I'm going to say, I think you'll find it impossible to hate me. So did you watch it yet? My advice, don't be surprised, and remember, don't blame me. I didn't do this, you did. So, you have two choices, you can meet me after viewing this video in my dorm by midnight tonight to discuss my terms, or you don't show up, and I'll upload this video publicly, for all the world to see. Starting with your daddy."

The craze of adrenaline assaulted Yang and Weiss, they were ready to explode. Their breathing was accelerating and Weiss had to take a moment to hesitate so they could calm themselves and prepare for what they were about to do. Yang gulped.

Weiss was furious with Cardin, but mainly themselves, when in the first ten seconds of the video, she gave him permission to film them. In fact, it was all their idea. To quote Yang, it's fucking hot when someone watches, and made them want to put on a show. Weiss selected the filter she wanted him to use, explaining what she was doing while slurring and completely naked. He took hold of her scroll, gave a thumbs up to the camera and then pointed it on them as they began to showcase their exhibitionist ways. They cringed as Cardin touched them progressively more intimately, and they encouraged him to do it. Without realising, they held their breath, until the point when he actually had his fingers inside them, then they convulsed. They claimed to be the best porn directors and actresses in the world, and ordered him about to get the best points of view and all the close ups that they wanted. Paralysed, they forced themselves to watch the whole thing.

Yang yelled for it to stop when she finally learned what men saw when she went down on them. Cardin did have a big cock, and she sucked it for all it was worth. Worst of all, for some bizarre reason that disgusted Yang to her very soul, she allowed him to touch her hair, with his hands and with his dick. She covered her eyes, and Weiss had to confirm three times that it was over and he didn't cum at all, let alone in her hair. Cardin had been convinced that blondes were the most fun, but Atlas girls had the best pussies and Weiss came with the added bonus of having endless amounts of cocaine. Cardin put the camera down at one point, so they had audio footage only of someone clearly cutting up lines on a flat mirror and several people snorting through straws in turn. Weiss was already crying silently by that point. Her life was over now. This video of her acting exactly like the person she really was, loose in malicious hands, was shredding her sanity.

"What the fuck, Yang?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you!"

"Did you not see the start of that thing? It was _you_."

"I swear to god, if you try to blame me, you are going to regret ever being born."

"You can be such a bitch." Yang muttered under her breath. "Whatever, Wino. We did it, so now what?"

Weiss' skin was cold and clammy. "We have to kill him. I don't care, we have to stop him. Threaten him, beat him up, cut out his tongue, whatever we have to do to prevent him from releasing that video. I don't know, you come up with something! No one can see this. Ever."

"Duh, I know."

"Tch, you're probably used to this, but I can't stand it."

"I don't want anyone to see it anymore than you do!"

"Then come up with an idea because, at the moment, my whole future is in the hands of someone who doesn't have two brain cells to connect with a neuron."

"What?"

"Exactly!" Weiss yelled at the heavens.

Weiss let a scream explode out of her mighty mouth. Yang covered her ears in pain, looking up, she was shocked that no glass broke. They clung onto one another, and desperately wished for the other to come up with a viable solution to fix this utter bullshit. Their consent was recorded on the video, they couldn't use that as a defense. They were drunk, but clearly not that drunk as they seemed legally compos mentis, enough to plan out and perform lewd sex acts while playing up to a camera. Yang glanced around, surveying the destruction. The video, although edited, was only 25 minutes long, and it contained no footage of them using and abusing the dozen dildos that were lying around the room, or wreaking havoc so that their dorm ended up in this dreadful state. They checked and double-checked themselves and their bodies, surely there should be something, a bruise or a scrape, that could match up to the damage done in the dorm. They had a few bumps and red patches, but they seemed unrelated to the mess, and had more to do with the dildos that were still lying about for anyone to see. Weiss began stress-cleaning, as a way to keep the cold shivers of fear at bay. Yang joined her, she didn't know what else to do. They barely scratched the surface of the enormous task that had befallen them, when Ruby and Blake barged in.

"Yang, Weiss, I've got something to say-" Ruby reeled and then peered at them with one eye squinting.

"You two look like shit." Blake could always be relied upon to speak the truth in her usual frank and objective way.

"What the hell happened here!? What, in the name of all that is holy, have you done to our room?"

"Ruby, I-"

"This is too much. You guys have gone too far this time. We came to look for you, because now we've been told we have to take that dumb test again, because your sorry asses couldn't pull yourselves together to pass a goddamned exam."

"You've failed, like I knew you would."

"Weiss, what happened to you? You're supposed to be the smart one. Yang, you promised me you could do this."

"You're both pathetic."

"Blake!"

"No, she needs to hear this." Blake pointed a sharp finger at Yang. "You're worthless. I don't know why I believed any of your promises, they were all meaningless. And I trusted you to sort her out, but you couldn't because no one can. You're useless, and she's hopeless." Blake snarled at Weiss. Ruby gasped, but she had no words to defend Yang.

"I tried, ok." Yang mumbled, blinking back tears.

"No, you didn't!"

"I actually studied this time."

"Not hard enough! I was right all along, you have no business being here."

"Hey, you leave her alone. She did the best with what she had, ok?"

"Her best?" Blake growled at Weiss. "You mean by taking all her fucking clothes off so that all her fanboys could have weekly wank material?"

"Fuck you! You didn't seem to mind my fans when they were buying you drinks and giving you the VIP treatment."

Everyone insisted on talking at once. Within seconds, it devolved into shouting and yelling. Weiss, who did not like to have her intelligence questioned, was using soprano tones to get her point across. Yang and Blake were mad enough they were about to break out into fisticuffs.

"Uhhh, guys?" Jaune poked his head around the door, not unlike the way Cardin did it earlier that morning. He let himself in, but he still hadn't got their attention. He put his fingers in the corners of his mouth, took a deep breath and produced a powerful, deafening whistle. Honestly, there might have been a shockwave. It made them turn to face him with all the whites of their eyes showing clearly, and comical slack jaws.

"Hey Jaune." Ruby cleared her throat, ready to address Jaune, leader-to-leader, hoping he would ignore the blatantly obvious truth that she couldn't control her team. "What's up?"

"I need to talk to Yang and Weiss."

"Uhhh, they're quite busy right now, but I'm sure they can spare a moment for you." Ruby twisted Yang's arm and pushed her forwards. Yang grabbed Weiss along with her. They stumbled out after him, and felt like they were walking the plank. Ruby watched them go, devising ways she would tell them that they were responsible for all her problems right now and how she intended for them to make it up to her, starting by quit acting like such selfish jerks.

Jaune acting nervous was making Yang and Weiss very nervous. They took a few steps, and stopped, but he led them further away before turning to them with alarming seriousness. "I'm sure you're wondering what my thoughts are concerning what-" He cleared his throat. "Happened between you and Pyrrha earlier."

Yang started about three different sentences, but didn't know how to finish any of the apologies or the flimsy justifications she had for the incident. Weiss put her thoughts into words. "We did that only because she was willing and she wanted to learn. We felt honour bound to help her."

"I don't know what you did. But it worked. So thank you." He wrapped an arm around each of them and they hugged. Yang and Weiss were glad when it was over. Jaune made a quick exit, which left them standing there, stammering like idiots. They didn't have much time to take in what just transpired. Ruby and Blake marched at them, with grim expressions on their faces.

"What the heck was that?"

"We do not speak of it."

"What does that mean?"

"Yang, you're supposed to tell me everything."

"Trust me, sis, there's a legit reason we don't wanna talk about it."

"And that reason is?"

"Confidential." Mainly because holding Pyrrha down while Weiss practically forced her to masturbate was one of the most fucked up things that Yang had ever done.

Ruby shrugged. "Yang will tell me later, she's the worst at keeping secrets."

Yang frowned. She awarded that particular title to Ruby, but admittedly she would take the silver. Blake shifted her gaze between Yang and Weiss, and trusted herself that she could extract the information later, when they didn't have their guard up.

"Anyway, you still haven't explained what the hell happened to all my stuff? Why does our room look like the aftermath of an attack? Why is there blood on the floor? Whose blood is it?"

Honestly, they weren't sure. Weiss tried to stall for time to come up with an answer, but thankfully, Blake saved them. "It isn't blood. It's wine."

"Let me guess, you don't know what you guys were thinking, you were drunk and probably high, blah blah fucking blah. Do you know how sick I am of hearing about shit like this?"

Yang stepped in front of Weiss to block the vicious glare Ruby was directing at her. "Ruby, you're right, we were drunk. We want you to know that we are really, really sorry about this."

"I don't care that you're sorry. These days, it doesn't mean much. This is your last chance. You better start coming up with answers, what happened, how are you going to fix this?"

"Whatever it takes." Weiss came out of Yang's shadow. "We will do everything. Pass the exam, clean the room, and get back at Cardin." She slammed one fist into her other palm.

"Get back at Cardin, for what? I thought we were winning."

"We were. Until this." Ruby and Blake got to watch Cardin's taunting message, but not the attached video. "He's going to blackmail us with that video if we don't stop him before tomorrow."

Blake's hands slid down the sides of her face in despair. "We leave you alone for one night. One night! You told us you would stay in, be quiet, have a study night. You're unbelievable."

"What's on the video, Yang, or do I not want to know?"

"You don't even need to ask. It's obvious what's on it. This is Yang we're talking about here, what else could it be? It's gotta be porn, plus this room smells like a fucking whorehouse. Look around, mess everywhere, panties on the floor, used dildos, someone should definitely crack a window in here."

"Go any further, and you are asking for a smack on the mouth! I'm not that girl anymore, I'm different. I'm better now."

"Not from where I'm standing."

"Just stop!" Weiss held her arm up, assuming control. "We have to do something about that video. That's more important than who's a slut right now. I know we've been less than gracious friends and roommates, but fighting between ourselves doesn't help anyone." Weiss had to quell the protests that Ruby and Blake were about to make by holding up a single finger to indicate that she had a point.

"We are all in it together, because we all know, this affects all of us. If Cardin leaks that video online, everything we've done in the past will become public. That puts a spotlight on us and they'll find dirt on all of us. If they can't find anything, they'll make it up. We'd all be screwed. We need to protect each other to stop that from happening. So what if I'm mainly talking about Yang here, she's one of us. What hurts her, hurts the rest of us. I know it's asking for a bit much, but I want to be able to finish school without any more scandals, so that I can say that this was always the right thing to do. And I mean that for all of us."

Roused by Weiss' speech, Ruby held her chin up and puffed out her chest. "Ok, guys, we have a new mission. Stop Cardin."

"I didn't agree to any mission, I don't want to have a hand in this."

"Blake, sorry, but I'm overruling you. Weiss is right, they'll dig up our pasts. If anyone cared to look closely, I'm sure they'd uncover the fact that you were in the White Fang and close to Adam Taurus, a known felon. I'm sure they'd find out my mom died when I was young, and make it into something horrible, like a freak show. Let's try to keep all that between us, so we can keep each other safe. Like a team."

Blake folded her arms, maintaining her hands in fists. "So does anyone have an actual plan?"

"Actually, why don't we wait? See what his demands turn out to be. He's not so high and mighty that he won't take a bribe."

"Nope, not happening. I'm not waiting around to do something. I have to do something now."

"Yeah, I'm with Yang. He's the type of guy who'd take your money and use the video anyway, somehow make a profit out of that too."

"Guys, guys, listen to me. I have a plan." Ruby sounded like a broken record. It was good, though, and reassuring. "This is a perfect opportunity to use our stealth powers." All three of Ruby's teammates were at a loss as to how to respond to that. What stealth powers? Ruby continued before her sanity could be questioned. "Remember, this is what Professor Ozpin was teaching us. I know we haven't had a lesson for a while, but we all learned something the first few times he called us in. Am I right?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"Stealth our way in and steal it back."

"It's on his scroll, which he always has with him. I checked the message history, and he sent it to himself from mine. We have a copy and he has a copy."

"Or multiple copies that he could've made by now." Blake sighed. "You have to figure out how to stop him from releasing it."

"This is impossible. What the fuck are we gonna do?"

"If we could get to his scroll, we could clone it. Swap it for his one, but delete the video first. Then he'll think he has it, until he goes to check. By then, we will have hacked his computer, and deleted any copies off there, so he has nothing to blackmail us with."

"Hack his computer? Do you even know any hackers?"

"No, I thought Weiss might."

"I don't actually."

"Anyone else? No? Ok, well, we can't fucking do that then, and we're back to having no plan."

"Back to my plan, physically steal it."

"Ruby, this isn't a movie. We can't just steal it, we will be caught. Then Cardin will definitely use that video."

"Is there any way you can claim it's a hoax?"

Weiss had already thought about that. They were too well-known for their own good, Yang's butt was instantly recognisable, let alone her face. "No. We can be seen clearly, doing- being disgusting! He keeps sending me texts that our time is running out and the clock's ticking."

"Ok, calm down." Blake had Yang's back on this one, they both caught Weiss by the arm to prevent any impending rants. "I have an idea. If we get one of his buddies, and use him to lure out Cardin, then hopefully we can separate him from his scroll and get rid of the evidence." No one offered a better plan so Yang folded her arms, and seemed rather smug about her idea, which was terrifying in itself. Ruby exuberantly agreed with Yang's plan. Ruby's job was easy, lookout. The other three had their targets, and couldn't give up until they succeeded.

Yang proceeded with determination, because she had the hardest job. She followed Dove for about half an hour, he got some snacks and cigarettes from the convenience store. He went to a betting shop and she read from his discarded ticket that the greyhound he bet on didn't win. She was embarrassed for him when his attempt a chat-up line on a random female pedestrian was taken as offensive, possibly creepy, from the look on her face.

She had to catch him before he got back to the Team CRDL dorm room. He was on his way back to campus, whistling as he went. Yang heard her own footsteps at double volume as she stepped in his footprints. She couldn't help how suspicious she looked tailing him, but he never noticed until she was right behind him.

"Hey Bronzewing. Got a question for ya." Yang's forearm slapped down like a metal bar across his neck. The back of his head bounced against a concrete wall. "What do you know about a certain video Cardin may or may not have on his scroll and maybe showed you. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about."

"I don't know nothing about that!"

"Really?" Yang slammed his back into the wall. "By the way, you should address me as sir."

"Ok, ok. There is a video." The punch started before he'd even finished his sentence. "Yes, sir! Sorry, sir."

"Where is it?"

"I dunno!" He tried to clear his throat, but she wasn't allowing him to swallow. His breaths came out in laboured grunts. His lips and eyes were pulsing due to the obstruction of blood flow.

"Start talking. Or my fist is going to get real friendly with your face." She swapped the hand squeezing his neck, so she could draw back her right fist.

Dove's eyes were popping out of his skull. "He sent it to each one of us, and if we get a text with the password, we have to upload it to Scrollmates." Fuck, shit, damn, and blast! If any member of Team CRDL acted suspicious, that would probably trigger Cardin to upload the video. All of them had it, not just Cardin, she was worried that any one of them might take it upon himself to spread the video around as an act of revenge.

"Did you watch it?"

"No." His breathing was restricted even further. Just as he saw the white dots, Yang loosened her grip a little. "Yes! Yes, ok, I watched it. Only once, I swear. He made me watch it. I can't breathe."

"Got one more question for you, and then I'll let you go. If your buddy Cardin sends you a text, are you going to upload the video?" Dove shook his head. "What was that? Speak up."

"No, sir."

"Good." Yang put him down so that his feet were on the ground again.

Yang grabbed his scroll and dropped it next to their feet. "I guess since you won't be needing this anymore…" She let the stamp of her boot heel crunching the glass and circuit boards into the ground punctuate that sentence.

"You gonna mention our little chat to Cardin?"

"N-no, sir!"

She dropped him, and turned her back as he spluttered on his hands and knees, rubbing his bruised, tender neck. His chest felt tight, his oxygen debt was huge. She almost kicked him while he was down, but that was too cruel. Yang bolted and ran back to Ruby.

"Is he back yet?" she said, between breaths.

"Nope. No one came in or out."

"Ok. Ok, ok. This is good, it means they're not together yet, and they don't know we're after them."

Weiss and Blake joined them to begin their next strategy meeting. "Got another problem. It's on the Cloud in case one of them accidentally deletes it. By the way, Russell is a weirdo freak, I'm never talking to him again."

"The Cloud, shit, worst invention ever. I wish I did know some hackers."

"Shit. I wish I didn't destroy Dove's scroll. We could've gotten access into his account. He said something about a password, did anyone learn it?"

Both Weiss and Blake shrugged and shook their heads. Weiss snapped her attention to Blake. "Did you not get Russell's scroll then?"

"No, I couldn't."

"Couldn't?"

"Did you even try?" Blake shrugged. "Tch. Go back and try again, there's still a little time. Just like lift it out of his pocket, I know I've seen you do that before."

"When? Are you trying to say I'm a thief?" Blake crossed her arms and huffed. "I'm done with this. I already tried, it didn't work."

"Blake! This should've been easy for you." Yang was annoyed that her plan wasn't followed, in her head it had been foolproof. "Try to be a little bit more persuasive next time."

"Trust us, we know he has a Faunus fetish. He sent us about five messages a day asking until we put Velvet's pictures up."

"That is so disgusting. No way."

"Please, Blake, you're the best there is at this."

"There's no way I can get his scroll, he thinks I'm really weird now. Weiss should have hers. That's our way in."

"Actually, I didn't get mine either."

"What the hell, yours was supposed to be a cakewalk. Am I the only one who followed my plan?"

"Evidently."

"I did my job as lookout!"

"Yeah, thanks, Ruby." The sisters bumped fists.

"Well, I did follow Sky to the library, but I couldn't exactly do anything in there, could I?" Weiss kicked the floor. "All he did was play on that stupid MMO everyone is going on about. I thought about logging in and making a character to speak to him that way."

"That would've been better than doing nothing."

"How dare you, I did something better than your stupid plan anyway."

"D'ya know what? I've had it with you." Yang took two large strides and was nose-to-nose with Weiss, scowling down at her. "I'm trying to help, and you're knocking me back at every opportunity."

"Come up with something clever then!"

"You haven't thought of anything, I think the drugs make you stupider than you're willing to admit."

"You're an idiot, you did the exact same drugs. You didn't need much convincing."

"Oh, that's it-"

Ruby considered that she might get a slap for doing this, but she pinched one ear each of Yang and Weiss, and pulled. Their skulls bashed together, and they both groaned and cradled the brand new bumps on their heads. Ruby felt good that she could be a successful disciplinarian for once, if a little heavy-handed. "Stop your squabbling. You need to sort this shit out, and you have to work together. Or you have no chance."

Blake rolled her eyes, her ocular muscles were getting tired from the amount of times she had done that in the last five minutes. "All right, fine. Ruby and I will distract the others, we'll keep them away from their dorm as long as possible." She shook her head in dismay. "So you can do whatever you need to do."

"Sorry guys, that's the best we got. It's up to you."

"All right." Yang's brow lowered in determination. "We're going in." She smashed her fists together with that trademark brashness she was known for, Weiss grabbed one hand and took firm hold. Ruby and Blake left in opposite directions, while Yang and Weiss waited in their dorm for the signal to go. The anticipation was akin to torture. Even Weiss couldn't sit still, and paced the length of the room, trying not to take her nerves out on Yang. They were almost at the point of climbing the walls when they got the double beep from their scrolls, indicating that the coast was clear.

It was cringe-worthily stupid to try the door handle, but other ideas weren't forthcoming. The door was locked, of course.

"Damn, failed at the first hurdle."

"Can't you just, I don't know, break the door down?"

Professor Ozpin briefly flashed through Yang's memory. "I should probably not break any more school property."

"What should we do then?"

Yang sighed. "I don't know. Is there another way in?"

Weiss rubbed her forehead, pacing up and down. Yang's eyes followed her back and forth, but her mind was quiet so she let Weiss think. Weiss snapped her fingers. "I got it. Sun climbs trees."

"Ok, I think the drugs have finally addled your brain, Wino."

"Shut up about that. He climbed up to our window, yeah it was easy for him, but he's also an idiot. He came up from ground level, we can drop in from above. Cardin lives on the top floor. Shouldn't be too hard to climb down from the roof and get in through the window."

"Huh, that's actually not a bad idea."

Weiss scoffed. "I already knew that, but thanks though."

"Pfft. Smartass."

So that was their plan. Admittedly, it was a bit shitty, but it was something. Weiss suggested that Blake had some climbing equipment in their dorm, at least that's what Weiss thought it was, but it was really some kind of kinky outfit. Yang left it in a mess on the floor, and promptly tripped over some of the uber strong ribbon material that Blake used for her weapon. That was as good as anything they were going to get. Up on the roof, they only just realised how precarious this plan actually was, they would need a lot of luck to pull it off.

"Don't get careless and fucking drop me."

"Keep talking like that, and my fingers might get slippery."

Weiss groaned in disgust. "Yang, focus, please." Weiss sat on the edge, with her feet over the side. The ribbon wasn't long enough to anchor to anything solid, so Yang had to hold Weiss with the strength of her back alone. Nothing she couldn't handle, she reassured Weiss and herself multiple times. Weiss slid off the side, one buttcheek at a time, and Yang held on tight.

"I wasn't even making a pun. That was your own dirty mind. Although, now you mention it..."

"Yang!" Weiss was dangling in the air, hundreds of feet above the ground, waving slightly in the breeze due to her little outburst.

"Ok, sorry! Lowering you down now."

"Too fast, too fast! Ok, lower, lower. Not too much! Stop moving, I'm swinging like crazy. You're doing it wrong, don't wrap it around your hands like that."

Yang rolled her eyes at her girlfriend's annoying complaints and almost did drop her. "Shit!"

Weiss screamed out of her stomach because it was trying to burst out of her mouth. "You gave me a motherfucking heart attack. I swear to god, Xiao Long, when I get back on the ground, I'm going to murder you and hide the tiny, cut up pieces of your body in a freezer."

"Careful with those threats, 'cos I'm the one who decides how fast you get there."

Weiss almost retorted back that Yang wouldn't dare do any such thing, but perhaps since Yang was the only thing keeping her from being a smear on the ground at the moment, she shouldn't be so snappy. Weiss' toes touched the window sill finally, and she clung to the wall, hoping that she would instantly develop reptile powers so she could stick to the wall like a lizard. Her tiny hands squeezed through the thin gap between the window and the frame and she levered it open, wide enough for her to jump inside. She gagged immediately on the strong odour of Eau de Jockstrap.

"Come on, get down here and help me look for clues."

Yang's feet could be seen from inside, but she was too scared to make the jump, Weiss could see her shaking. "Uhh, I think I'll just stay up here." The feet disappeared from Weiss' view.

"Don't leave me alone in here. Just drop inside, the window's wide open, though you might need a little momentum."

"If I fall, you'll catch me, right?"

"Yes, of course." Weiss' heart was thumping like mad, Yang was explicitly trusting her with her life. "You've got this, it's like a pull up, but in reverse. You can make it, I believe in you." Weiss could actually hear Yang mumbling to herself, working up the courage to perform this feat.

"Ok, I'm gonna do it!" Yang sent down a thumbs up. She hesitantly put one leg over the edge, then the other. Her hands were sweaty, she wasn't sure about her grip, even though she could deadlift four times her bodyweight. With all the grace of a newborn giraffe, Yang let herself down and flopped on top of Weiss, who was diligently holding her arms out, ready to 'catch' her.

"I didn't know you were afraid of heights, Yang." she said, when they narrowly avoided bumping noses.

Yang scrambled to her feet, trying to hide the blush on her face. "Am not!"

"You didn't have a problem with flying over Forever Fall, and executing a landing strategy after a hundred metre descent."

"I had my gauntlets for that. Listen, Ice Queen, I can handle heights, ok. I just like having a safety net, and if you hadn't noticed, today I'm unarmed."

"I can't believe you got scared."

"I wasn't that scared, I knew you would catch me."

"Aww." Weiss' smile and Yang's reluctance to grin was probably the cutest thing ever.

Their ears pricked up at the sound of someone turning off the shower. Cardin had heavy footsteps, they could hear him thud around the tiled bathroom floor. He was opening the door. "I can hear weird noises. Are you guys sucking each other's dicks again? What the-" Cardin almost let his towel drop. Yang and Weiss froze, as if that would make them invisible. Inside, they were screaming and their blood ran cold. They let Cardin put on some shorts, while they trembled in dread, they couldn't even open the door from this side to escape. His head swivelled to the still locked door, and the wide open window. "I'm gonna kill those lazy fuckers, if I've told them once, I've told them a thousand times to shut that fucking window." He turned to the two intruders in his room. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" He snorted. "You weren't trying to weasel out of paying up what you owe me, were you?"

Goddamn, his rhetorical questions were annoying. "You know why we're here, Cardin. We're getting that video back one way or another."

"No, you're not. I'm not letting it go."

"You will. We're not joking, Cardin. Terrible things will happen if you don't give it up!" Weiss was turning red with fury.

"Oh yeah, like what?" He was enjoying this, the little prick. "I have everything, you have nothing."

"Don't start with me." Yang cracked her knuckles. "You will regret it."

"Ok, fine. Because I'm a nice guy, I'll make a deal with you. I'll delete the video."

"Good."

"If, and only if, you get me every item on this list."

Weiss snatched the printed list. She scoffed and threw it on the ground. "You could have emailed that to us. Instead of screwing with us all day long."

"No, because that's not all. I want to have sex with you."

"Wha-"

"Both of you. I want to film it. I'll keep it private, obviously. Just for my own use, and a some close friends of mine. I'm sure you understand."

Yang and Weiss grit their teeth and simultaneously denied this request. "No fucking way."

"Cardin." Weiss spoke with robotic clarity. "Are you definitely saying that unless we have sex with you, you'll release a private tape of us without our permission?"

"Will you fuck me or not? I won't be responsible for whatever happens when this video goes public. I've told you what I want. Are you game, or what?"

"Is that what it will take for us to get the video back? Those are your demands?"

"How many times do I have to say it? If it makes you feel any better, she can suck my dick again, but I have to fuck at least one of you."

"Cardin, I'm going to say this very slowly so you can understand. You're dumb. This is how we're gonna get the tape back." Weiss served him the legal documents. "You read and sign this. Then you relinquish all claimed ownership of that video to us, to even talk about it is considered a crime."

"What the fuck-"

"That's right. These are official orders for you to cease and desist. Gagging orders." She lay another thick bundle of papers on him. "The terms of our superinjunction."

"I'm not signing that shit."

"Well, the deal is that you sign these, and we don't press charges. I think it's up to 15 years in prison and hefty fines for Article 8. What did you think would happen, Cardin? That you could lord it over us, and we would owe you something for the rest of our lives? Believe me, you're not clever enough to pull that off. So you better find all the copies you know of, and hand them over because they're our property."

"You're fucking kidding, right?"

"No, we're being deadly serious. Remove the video from your possession or we will sue you."

"Sue me?"

"Yeah, Cardin, with real lawyers and a really stern judge will decide how long you get to spend being someone's prison bitch."

"Oh, for fuck's sake." Cardin got out his scroll, ostentatiously deleting the video file in front of them.

"And what about the copy on The Cloud? And your friends have it on their scrolls too."

Cardin grumbled like a belligerent child. "Fine, I'll make them delete it."

"Do it now, so we know you have."

They waited for him to call them, whisper the password behind his hand, and tell them that the plan was aborted. He couldn't get through to Dove, and Yang let him panic for a bit, before saying that he could give up on that one. He used his computer to delete the copy on The Cloud and also the unedited version that Weiss spotted on his desktop. "Happy now?"

"Yes, and, just so you know, any more secret copies of that video are worthless. It's our legal and intellectual property, and if you share it or publish it, you'll owe us thousands. If you don't play along with our rules, we can have you charged with a felony." Instead of inviting people to pirate their sex tape by trying to eradicate all trace of it, Weiss made a storefront webpage and locked their soon to be copyrighted video behind a paywall. It was their most profitable venture yet, and probably wouldn't ever be beaten.

Cardin dropped all the papers on a desk. "Ok fine, if I sign this, will you get off my back? All this talk about prison time, all I wanted was a proper threesome."

"Yes, Cardin, if you sign here and do everything we said, all of this will go away."

Cardin grunted in frustration and snatched the pen that Weiss offered him. "You guys are no fun." He scribbled his name. "Whatevs. Here." Cardin shoved the pages into Weiss' hands. She grinned in triumph.

"Thank you for making the right choice today."

"You can go now, seeing as I'm not getting anything from you." Yang was sure she heard him kick some furniture in frustration and then yelp in pain, as they left.

They had won, if by the skin of their teeth. Yang punched the air. "Weiss, you were so awesome the way you read him the Riot Act. He shat himself when you laid that pile of papers on him. How did you get that?"

Weiss gave a tiny wink. "I just copy and pasted a bunch of professional-sounding legal shit, and printed it out on fancy paper. I think most of it was the terms and conditions of that online game that Sky was playing."

Yang took Weiss in her arms and spun around in celebration. "You are so fucking brilliant. My little genius."

They ran, holding hands, back to their dorm. Ruby had picked through some of the crap, found some things of hers, and was putting it away. Blake came out of the bathroom, she was oddly dressed, she couldn't find a whole outfit to wear amongst all the rubbish, so she had to make do with a pair of Yang's shorts, mismatching socks, a top that obviously belonged to Ruby, judging by the cute cartoon character on the front, and one of her own bras.

"I assume from your smiles that you were successful." Blake still seemed dubious.

"Of course."

"At last, some good news."

"I'm quite surprised you're still here, thought you'd be with your other friends."

"I had nothing clean to wear." What she meant was, she had nothing black to wear.

"I will, of course, pay for the laundry. We can stick it all in together, if nobody minds. It'll have to be tomorrow though, there's a lot of work to do here first."

"The sooner, the better."

"Yeah, I guess you want to get back to your friends. They must be so fun to hang out with, because you're always with them, never with us."

Blake passed a side glance to Yang and Weiss. "Uhhh…"

"Yeah, Blake. Who are these new peeps that you're chilling with, instead of us?"

"They're just these friends, I met online. We hang out because we're all really similar, have the same taste in music."

"Are they Faunus too?"

"No, only Laiken is Faunus."

"Blake."

"Fine, we're all Faunus, but we hide our true selves. They know about me, too. We call ourselves the Bleak Fang, because we're sick of being associated with the current Faunus Rights Movement. They don't get it, the White Fang aren't fighting for equality anymore, they're almost fighting for the sake of fighting. It doesn't help our cause, they're sending us back 50 years of progress or more. #FaunusLivesMatter started out about being equal, but now it's a joke. It's like they're hiding behind a slogan so they have an excuse to cause chaos."

"Does Sun know about the Bleak Fang?"

"Not really, he's not interested in politics. He warned me not to get too into it, he didn't want another 'cult' situation on his hands. But he doesn't realise that this is different, we're really helping. Actually, we're really making a difference. Well, we would if we had as many followers as you guys. They're just into the same stuff as me, and you guys don't have to get involved with it because you're not Faunus, so it doesn't matter to you."

"It does matter to us, because we're your friends." Yang and Weiss hastened to agree.

"They're my friends too."

"Well, it's fine for you to hang out with them, we don't care that you have other friends, but, we'd like to see you too."

"Yeah, so don't do a Yang and disappear on us all the time." Weiss nudged Yang with her elbow, and Yang smirked. Ruby sniggered. Blake got the message, and smiled.

"So, what are we going to do about our room?"

"Well, I promised that we would clean it up and we will."

Blake dropped a hand on her shoulder. "Would you like some help? It'd be pretty mean of us, to make you do it all by yourselves." Ruby nodded along with her.

"But, aren't you guys still mad at us? For breaking everything, and generally being a huge shitshow?"

Ruby giggled. "Well, yeah. But it's hard, because we still like you."

Weiss gasped, covering her shocked open mouth. Yang grinned. "I knew you guys would come around."

Ruby held up a finger to warn them of a caveat to that statement. "I'm still a little mad that you broke my bunk bed. I spent ages putting that up."

"What if we made it again, but this time, make your bed level so you don't have to be scared of rolling off in your sleep?"

"Well, I was thinking that we make something better, for all of us."

"Like what?"

Weiss whispered something in Ruby's ear, which made Ruby's eyes pop open in realisation. She ran to get her graph paper, and spread out her Weapons Weekly magazines, open on all the best design articles and how-tos. Yang and Blake were bewildered until Ruby presented them with an intricate blueprint for a brand new bunk bed, with one major change to their last set-up. She had given Weiss and Yang the bottom bunk, but made it into an almost full-sized double. She made out like it was so she could be less irritated by all the tossing and turning they did trying to get comfortable every night, but really, it was a lovely gift to them and their burgeoning relationship. Best of all, most of it could be made out of the materials from their old bunks. Team RWBY set to work with their tools.

Ruby pulled the rope taut, almost her entire body weight was being used to counterbalance the bed. Yang could see her arms shaking, she had to move quickly. Weiss helped pull, and managed to drag Ruby backwards at the same time. She caught Ruby with one arm before her face hit the ground, and held the bed up with the other.

"I didn't know my own strength, sorry Ruby."

Ruby looked around, dizzy at being thrown off her feet. Yang was trying not to laugh. "Bring that bit up a bit. Then to me."

Yang nodded, and pushed the frame over an inch. As promised, the feet slid into place and locked. The frame was almost complete. Ruby handled all the designing of the moving mechanical parts, Weiss took all the precise measurements, Blake's fine motor control made her perfect for assembling all the tiny cogs and wheels. Yang, obviously, used her physicality to build the foundation and cut the large pieces they needed, and put most of it together. She offered to cut a tree down when they ran out of wood, but Weiss used her credit card to get some extra lumber dropped off by truck, because no one could be sure of the rules about felling the trees on school grounds. Yang and Blake brought it in as a team, making sense of the pre-cut pieces of timber and fixing all the new pieces in place.

Weiss couldn't abide the new mess that their DIY project was making, she used a handheld vacuum cleaner and sucked up all the piles and trails of sawdust as they went. In the process, she also sorted out and tidied up the whole room to her satisfaction, the room was completely unrecognisable to this morning, notwithstanding the new furniture they had built. She wiped more dust from the finished product before expertly making the beds with clean sheets.

Ruby smiled, proud of their achievement. The only thing that could make a transforming pair of bunk beds even better, is if she somehow managed to make it also a gun. Pillow fights were about to be gamechanged, one of the settings was a fort, complete with a flag.

Blake wiped the sweat from her brow. "We did it."

"Of course we did. We are an awesome team." Yang high-fived Ruby.

"Yeah! This is gonna go down in history as the best bunk beds ever. Weiss, I know you like bunk beds, so I made them even better for you."

Weiss' cheeks went pink. "Thanks, Ruby. It's pretty genius the way you guys can move your beds to be a canopy."

"You came up with the idea, I just made it for you."

"We all did it." Yang hooked her arms around her team. "We're officially the best team ever. Thanks, for not giving up on us. Especially me."

"Don't you dare start blubbing, you big softie."

"Shut up, I'll cry if I want to. I'm just so happy, I have the best friends ever." Yang squished the air out of them to prove it. "We actually did something together, as a team, and I'm so proud of it."

"Job's not quite over yet, all that shit we took out of here needs to be thrown out."

"We'll dump it."

"Just the two of you?"

"Yeah, we lift." Weiss laughed at Yang's super casual shoulder shrug. Weiss bent down to grab one end, expecting it to weigh a ton. Except, she could lift it easily, with one hand. She curled her hand around the matching half-frame and walked tall with an amused Yang following closely behind.

"Wow, Weiss. Your back looks huge right now."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You look great from this angle." Yang took a picture for her private collection. The cuts hadn't come in yet, but the silhouette was dramatic and impressive. Weiss' long shadow imposed on the ground before her, her lats fully spread out, and her arms no longer looked dinky and weak. The bulge of her delts were fairly prominent, striations were not far behind. Weiss didn't have a lot of fat to start with, and some had been lost through changes in diet and hardcore training, but the biggest change came from the increase in muscle mass. Yang stood back once she had opened the dumpster lid, and let Weiss heave both pieces over the edge.

"That actually felt good." Weiss laughed, dusting her hands off. "Now we're free to do what we like."

"I'm pooped. I can't wait to lie in an actual bed tonight, and this time we can spread out properly and relax."

"Well, we have six hours to study for that re-take tomorrow morning. No sleep for us."

"Is this what your life was like back in Atlas, always at full throttle, burning the candle at both ends?"

Weiss found herself at odds with her new blasé attitude towards school. Sure, the threat of failure hung menacingly above her head. But, she didn't want to relinquish the therapeutic serenity of not giving a fuck, it made her so much happier and it was that much easier to make her smile. She was full of gratitude to Yang for making it all happen. Weiss chuckled. "I sure know what I'd like to do to both of your ends, you sexy freak." She winked, playfully poking her tongue out.

Yang gasped. "You dirty bitch. Hm, I think I know how to stay up all night and also how we're gonna pass this exam," she said with a cheeky eyebrow raise.

Unlike the last time she took a test, or anytime in the past when she had taken a written exam, Yang opened her mind and easily poured out the contents onto her page. Her points were clear and concise, it helped a lot that whenever she was thinking she had Weiss' voice in her head giving her all the answers, or chiding her for coming up with something wrong or stupid. Nobody was ever going to top the Schnee heiress at Advanced Dust Theory, but Yang felt confident that the way she tied in what she knew about Grimm might actually give her a sneaky edge against Weiss. They came out of there feeling relieved, rather than beat up, although they still braced themselves for the outcome.

Yang and Weiss couldn't keep the smiles off their faces when their successful results were returned instantly. Weiss had clawed her way back to the top ranking, everything was back to normal on that front. Yang's jaw dropped as she read that she had beaten both Ruby and Blake, although their original scores were higher and still valid. Yang was only 10 points behind Weiss, a personal record by a country mile. Yang was completely insufferable, she kept waving her excellent grade in Blake's face, her gleeful grin filled with pride. Blake reluctantly conceded that she had done well (finally), and questioned her technique for revising so hard in such a short space of time. Yang turned to Weiss and they both blushed, and suspiciously denied doing anything unusual.

Talk quickly turned into planning for their next big celebration. They'd done it, Team RWBY and Team JNPR all passed the midterm and were on course for flying through the rest of the year. There was no Vytal Tournament to provide a distraction this time, but Yang and Weiss were the first to suggest holding a school dance because it was so fun the last time and also so Ruby wasn't left out. Yang and Weiss turned out to be amazing party planners, although they could never have predicted that Jaune dancing in a dress would be the talking point of the evening, but everyone was saying about how good a party it was even before that happened. All four members of Team RWBY were skipping on their toes, voices high and loud, as they discussed the next big event.

As they turned the corner to get to their dorm, their grins evaporated as two police officers were waiting outside their door.

"What is this, what's going on?"

"Nothing to worry about, which one of you is Miss Xiao Long?" one said, reading from the paperwork.

"That would be me."

"Sign here, please." The female officer handed her a clipboard and pen, pointing to the rectangle beside Yang's name. She smiled and handed over an envelope after Yang reluctantly gave them her autograph. It was a thick envelope, the paper quality was high, signifying its importance. Weiss read the postmark. It was from the High Court.

Yang's frown lines deepened. She tore off the top of the envelope, out of it came the most official-looking document that Yang had ever seen with her own name on it. It had been embossed with the logo of the court, to deter copies and alterations.

 _ **FROM THE HIGH COURT OF THE BAYSIDE DISTRICT OF THE KINGDOM OF VALE**_

 _Plaintiff: People of Vale & District Attorney_

 _V._

 _Defendant: Miss Y. Xiao Long_

 _YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to attend the Bayside Courthouse at 0900 on Monday 15th May and are required to serve an answer to the complaint which is herewith served upon you._

 _The violations of the Crime Act, and the City Code, are as follows:_

 _Assault_

 _Assault and Battery_

 _Assault with the Intention of Grievous Bodily Harm_

 _Murder in the third degree (voluntary manslaughter)_

 _Failure to attend may result in the issue of a warrant for your arrest._

That was how Yang finally learned her victim's name, from a photocopy of the coroner's report.

 **A/N: I am aware that there is a fic called The Yangover, it's actually quite good (crack fic) but inactive and unfinished. It seems like a drunken author's brilliant idea that they had after staying up all night, and now the author has given up drinking so we probably won't see the end of it. Sad times.**

 **I am also aware that this chapter is particularly crack-y. Sorry about that.**

 **A/N2: If you didn't see this coming, then I'm really not doing my job correctly.**


	9. Chapter 7: The One With Yang Behind Bars

**Chapter 7: The One With Yang Behind Bars**

Yang stared back at her fuzzy reflection in the dark screen. She was so nervous. It had been months since she had phoned home personally. Ruby called their father every single day the first week of the semester, and for the remainder of the year, she called at least once a fortnight. Yang could count on one hand the times she had done the same, but she often bombed in on Ruby's calls, so Taiyang saw her frequently enough. Tai liked to be updated on what his girls were doing at school, and Ruby had reams and reams of things to tell him, but Yang didn't have much to say apart from the latest fight she'd won. Suffice to say, she hadn't yet got around to letting him know about the pyrrhic victory she'd won in a street fight.

"Hey, baby girl. I love you."

"Love you too, dad. I've missed you."

"Missed you too, baby. You seem so grown up since I last saw you, gonna have to stop calling you baby soon." He winked and laughed mischievously.

She chuckled along with him. "Don't you dare."

"So, what's the occasion? What did I do to deserve the privilege of your call?"

"Dad! You make it sound like I never speak to you. I'm sorry it's been a while. Ruby says hey, by the way."

"Tell her I send my love."

"I will."

"So, really, what's up, baby girl?"

"Daddy, I-" Yang's voice broke, "I could be going to jail. I'm due in court tomorrow and I'm so scared."

Millions of questions stormed through Tai's mind, Yang felt sick at the expression of sheer confusion and surprise on his face. Why would his baby be going to jail? She wasn't bad, she wouldn't do anything that could warrant arrest, would she? Not like Rav- _oh shit!_ "Oh, my sweet little…" Tai sniffled. "What happened?"

Yang's memory failed to recall how many versions of this tale she had told now, so she gave her father a very terse and brief overview of the events, cutting Weiss out of the story entirely or calling her 'this friend of mine'.

"The guy was in hospital, but he didn't make it. So now they're gonna put me on trial, even though I'm innocent. I didn't kill him, I can't have. He was breathing when I left, I swear, dad. I swear on Ruby's life."

"I know, honey. I believe you."

"Nobody else does. I'm so scared, daddy. I don't want to be locked up."

"Baby girl, I want you to listen to me. Listen to papa."

"I'm listening, daddy."

"Good. I love you with all my heart. You're a good person, and I love you, no matter what. Everything is gonna turn out ok, all right? Let me hear you say it."

The will to say it was not there. Yang forced herself anyway. "It's gonna be ok." She hated how hollow it sounded coming out of her mouth.

"And why's that?"

Yang's face cracked. "Because I'm… I'm a good person."

Tai nodded. "Good girl."

He put his fist up to the camera, and she did the same on her end. They held their virtual fist bump for a moment, before Tai began pretending that her fist came through his screen and she punched him in the eye. She was a little too old for his playacting but she loved it all the same, and laughed until her eyes watered and her abs were sore. He asked her what was going on in her life, in truth. Her dad always cut to the chase when he needed to, he was probing to find out if he would really tell her how she ended up in a situation like this.

Yang was silent. "I don't know where to start."

"It's ok, baby girl. You can tell me anything." She looked at her sad face in the thumbnail and then back at him. She shook away the tears that were growing in the corners of her eyes. If only he knew, if only she could tell him the truth.

That was the one thing she hated about her dad; he really didn't get along with gay people. It was hideously obvious that he disliked them for their 'abnormality', and the whole town where she grew up shared the same mentality. So the day she realised she was bisexual was a hard one for Yang. Of course it had to be her, the otherwise golden girl who, despite all her family problems, was heading for great things. She had imagined telling him countless times, but every time he joked about sissies or made fun of masculine women, she pushed the idea further to the back of her mind. It was just something she learned to hide, and obviously it helped a lot that she could pass as straight and her interest in boys was not feigned.

"Dad, I…" _Fell in love with the most amazing girl. You'd love her, she's really funny, and pretty, and smart. I know she's a girl but, I'm in love with her_. Yang sniffed and pulled back the feelings that were trying to escape. Losing the one parental connection Yang had was not an option. He was so open with her, but little did he know that she could crush his love for her with a couple of words. Yang sighed.

"I fucked up. It got so bad, Professor Ozpin had to have an intervention." Yang sighed heavily, and shuddered as she inhaled a deep breath. "I'm failing school. I don't have a high enough average, I'm not going to make it through this year. I got help, someone's tutoring me and everything, but it's pointless. I don't think I'm good enough for this. I thought about quitting."

"Aw, baby. Is that what's getting you down? I'm sorry you're not doing well, but I know you can do this. I've got every faith in you that you've got this."

"Thanks, dad." Yang didn't even try to sound happy or hopeful.

He tutted at her. "Now, now. I really do believe you can do it, Yang. As long as you don't give up. You're a Xiao Long and we never give up fighting, ok?"

"Yeah, yeah." Yang nodded while she was tearing up. "I'm sorry, I'll try harder."

"That's right, and you won't let anything bring you down. If it does, you talk to me. I'm a listening ear, always, you know that."

"Thanks, dad," she said with a smile this time. Yang was still smiling when she said goodbye to him. The good feels of talking to her dad, sadly, only lasted a few hours before Yang retreated back inside her shell.

Weiss felt so sorry for Yang and had to take control of her desperate situation. She went with Yang to all the consults and meetings with lawyers. Whenever she spoke up, she was like Yang's shining beacon, helping Yang who easily got lost within all the legal jargon. Weiss didn't let the lawyer team rest, she hounded them on the phone and via emails to make sure Yang's case was their top priority. Yang seemed incapable of dealing with everything by herself, it harkened back to her fateful Vytal Tournament match. She had this awful, foreboding feeling that, yet again, no one would believe her version of the events.

Ruby and Blake were grateful to Weiss for helping. They felt like they were in the company of a stranger when Yang was around. She had shut down completely and closed off the outside world, barely able to function. Weiss had to remind her to eat and drink, otherwise she was pretty useless. They cuddled a lot in their big bed - it was the only thing that Yang ever seemed to want to do. Ruby thought it was cute, but also sad. Even though she wasn't the greatest fan of the fact that her sister was quite sex-crazed, but she knew it was important to her, and for Yang not to be interested was a serious worry. Yang and Weiss didn't have much of that type of fun nowadays. They stubbornly refused to acknowledge that their time might be running out, and Yang was too depressed to feel sexy.

They debated back and forth at least once a day, whether they should announce the news to their fans. Weiss had more than enough pictures to post so they could pretend like everything was unicorns and rainbows. They contentiously decided to wait, until they had something more solid to announce. Yang could not bear to read all their usual messages of love, lust, and awe, even though Weiss had thought it might cheer her up a bit. Yang mostly ignored her scroll, until she had until she had a mini-breakdown and snapped. She wrote a long post, giving notice that she would be cooling it on the Scrollmates front, while she got all her legal troubles in order. Within hours, they were being inundated with responses, although Yang's post wasn't very clear and made it seem like she was being brought before judge, jury, and executioner.

Weiss trusted the lawyer she had hired with the donations from fans, the money that was ring-fenced for investments and savings bonds, and a very large chunk of her monthly allowance. She hoped that the preliminary hearing would be fairly simple. It was a short affair, not a full trial, like Yang had been expecting. The lawyers prepped her before the trial, and Weiss has happy with the way it played out, as long as everyone stuck to their roles. They told her what to wear, nothing too showy, dull colours, conservative cuts and loose-fitting, and that she had to obey them or she would be sentenced to life imprisonment. Trying to act undaunted, she attended court, and she did so in the smart, professional pantsuit that followed the specifications Weiss had bought for the occasion. The judge was going to decide whether there was enough evidence to warrant a court case, and whether they were going for the lesser charges of assault, or go the whole hog and charge Yang with murder.

Weiss watched anxiously from the gallery. Turned out their combined hopes were rotten through and through, and it left a vile taste in her mouth when they barely let Yang hug Weiss goodbye as they carted her off to await sentencing in custody. The judge decided that she was a flight risk, and, given the nature of her semblance and fighting style, she couldn't be trusted to not hurt anyone.

Bail was set at one million Lien.

Weiss almost stood up and argued, or begged them not to take Yang away. The picture the prosecutor painted was not of her girlfriend, it was of some deranged delinquent. The used the recording of the singles match from the Vytal Tournament as evidence, and the picture of that guy's bloody face, every single photo that the police had of Yang, censored for decency, even going so far as to trawl through her Scrollmates account for anything incriminating, bringing up the #YangvsNora fight replay, and the photo shoot that Yang did wearing her Gauntlets and not much else. It was meant to showcase her skills, technique and form, and they turned it into something ugly, as if she were instructing people to copy her example, and sent a message that violence was sexy and glamorised.

The Assistant D.A. threw the book at Yang. She was mute as two medical experts said that the damage she had caused was enough to kill a hardier man, despite the fact that the medical report categorically stated that he was breathing when he was admitted to hospital. He definitely was, though, such a shame they had no actual proof of that. Nobody would believe her testimony now. The execution-style bullet wounds in the back were made out to be a cover up of the assault, despite the lack of fingerprints on the gun, but it was ruled that the evidence in lock-up would be reviewed again. The whole ordeal was humiliating; Yang toyed with the thought of confessing just to make it stop. But before she knew what was really happening, cuffs were around her wrists. She had been occupied staring at her hand, the last part of her Weiss had touched, and couldn't even remember saying goodbye.

"Be Strong. Don't give up hope." Weiss' whispered words kept repeating in her mind. It was a mantra that Yang absorbed, and kept close to her heart.

The red tape was not dissimilar to the original bureaucratic procedure she went through at the police station, only each form was in triplicate. Although, today, instead of being handed a crime reference number and a pamphlet when it was all over, she was handed a pair of grubby boots and a boiler suit.

Yang lined up with the rest of the new female inmates. They made her take off her clothes, along with all of the other girls as well, as they waited their turn to be examined. A uniformed guard came down the line, handing out laundry bags made out of nets to collect the clothes. Most of the girls were using the bags to hide themselves, and they were reluctant to relinquish them when he came by to collect them. The mute man wrenched the bags away from those that didn't give them up. Each bag was tagged and taken away to be held in storage. Yang said goodbye to her precious scarf, fearful that she might never see it again.

Yang was searched so thoroughly that they did not leave any crevice or orifice untouched. She lost all trace of her dignity somewhere along the way, most likely, she left it on the floor where she was asked to squat and cough while they shined a flashlight at her winking asshole. A woman with blue latex gloves poked and prodded around Yang's gums, searching for contraband, and inspected each of Yang's teeth with a mirror, on the lookout for drugs. After the degrading strip and cavity search process, she was finally allowed to put on her new clothes. At least orange was already her colour.

"Piss in the cup. No funny business. We'll be right outside."

Yang gawped in horror at the doorless toilet cubicle. "I can't go with people there."

"Don't care. Piss in the cup."

"No."

"Piss in the cup or you'll spend your first two weeks in solitary and I'll take a clump of your hair to be tested instead. And I'll warn you now, I ain't no hair stylist." Threatening her hair was the final straw that broke her resolve and Yang reluctantly did as she was told, although nerves made it much harder than it should have been.

She was led aside, with three other women. They left her waiting to be the last one seen, and when she entered the medical treatment room, she learned why the other women's faces were scrunched up with agony as they made their way past Yang to the exit. They didn't waste any time, and shot Yang point blank with what looked like a dart gun. The fact that it was labelled with the SDC logo hurt more than the actual injection. Thinking of Weiss, and how far away she was, made Yang want to curl up and die, she missed her girlfriend so badly. Tears streamed down her face as they took her blood pressure and pulse, and checked her upper respiratory tract for infection. Shortly after having the shot, she began to experience some strange effects. Yang had never been sedated before but she reckoned it must feel rather similar to this, she felt a cool liquid filling her veins and her pulse carried it around her whole body, much to her dismay.

They told her that it was further restraints that she would need to live in the prison along with all the normal humans and Faunus who had not received aura-enhanced combat training. Imagine if they let her loose in the yard and she activated her semblance, it would make protecting the other inmates and controlling her very difficult indeed. When it reached her head, she felt woozy and sick. They forced her to sit down and fed her sugary water that made her heave after a few sips. Someone kicked a dirty bucket towards her. She put the cup down and ignored the puke bucket, but a staff member stood over her until she downed the entire cup of gross water. Her stomach rebelled and expelled its entire contents to her further dismay.

The staff member very kindly held her hair back for her, but when they let go and it fell in front her shoulders, Yang felt sicker than before she threw up. Her beautiful golden locks were gone, the hair growing from her head was black as pitch, like raven feathers. She gathered it into a rough ponytail with her hands and held the ends up in front her face. All of it was black, not a single strand of blonde remained. She screamed bloody murder, throwing a fit, until a real nurse came in with a loaded syringe held up in a threatening position. Yang could feel her aura faintly stirring, like an engine turning over but unable to ignite. She was still shrieking when they jabbed her with the needle and pressed the plunger. Everything slowed down and blurred, but her arms still worked so she attacked blindly. Her swings were weak, but she did smack the nurse who stabbed her in the face. Guards rushed in, and forced her to the ground and trod on her limbs to keep her restrained for a second dose. This one went directly in the jugular, and that was the last thing that Yang remembered before waking up in her new home - her very own prison cell.

Her hair was still very black, she kept touching it and pulling it, checking that it was definitely her hair. It yanked at her scalp, and hurt when she ripped a few strands out so she had to conclude, sadly, that it was hers, and not a wig. Yang was yet to come across something as luxurious as a mirror, but she didn't want to look at herself without her crowning hair of awesome. She lay on the threadbare thin mattress and wept inconsolably.

At dinner, she picked at the slop she was served in her compartmentalised tray, hardly touching the brown mush that passed for mince. The kitchen cooked rice by the ton, it was probably the end of a batch, because it smelled off and had odd bits in it that Yang didn't find edible. The "dessert" had the consistency of sawdust and glue, which was extremely disturbing as it was made of gelatin, and tasted of that awful fake grape flavour and a shitload of artificial sweeteners. It was the most palatable thing on her plate and it made her gag. Yang pushed the tray away from her and planted her head on the table until she was allowed to leave the dining hall. It was 45 minutes before the even-numbered prisoners came in to eat their meal.

Yang shat herself as she walked down the bleak corridors back to her cell. She thought she saw her missing mother on the other side of some reinforced glass, but it was merely her own reflection. She barely recognised herself from the lack of yellow. She stopped to stare, she couldn't help it. Even the cowlick on the top of her head was as dark as a moonless night, when it was usually a paler blonde in colour, due to being bleached by the sun. Blue-black bags hung beneath her puffy eyes, and they were not as bright and alert as they used to be. Her face was gaunt, and her body felt tiny and scrawny inside her jumpsuit. What had they done to her? She had only been here one day and she was already ruined. She daren't imagine how they could de-humanise her further.

"Move along, inmate. No loitering."

The guard moved his hand to the gun strapped over his shoulder, only then did Yang's legs begin to walk. She hardly knew where she was going, all the corridors and staircases looked the same, and she felt like she was going around in circles. When she arrived at what she thought was her cell, there was some guy sleeping on her bed.

"XJ373?" said a voice from behind her.

Yang looked down at the ironed on patch stuck to her breast pocket and read it upside down. "That's me," she said with a resignation.

"You've been moved to more permanent accommodation."

Yang had no personal effects to take from her old cell, so she shadowed the CO. He took her to the very end of a different wing, one she hadn't been in before. Rows and rows of identical cells lined the hall, some were occupied, others were empty, but they were all the same - two bunk beds against the wall, and the same dull plastic and metal furniture. Yang was unceremoniously shoved inside a cell already housing two other women, one a large, portly human, and the other a Faunus with long purple hair and a pair of huge fluffy grey ears. The human was sitting at a fold away desk, playing cards. Yang put her hand on the top bunk that seemed to be free.

"You don't want that one. There's a damp problem." The older woman said without glancing up from her game of solitaire. Yang inspected the bed more closely, there was a huge mouldy patch, the centre of which was rotten, and looking up, Yang saw why. A rusty pipe directly above it leaked drips of water of questionable origin every few minutes or so.

Yang gestured to the lower bunk instead. "Any problems with this one?"

"Other than you sleeping in it, no."

Yang checked that the damp had not seeped into the mattress, and she was satisfied that it was sanitary. Only just though. Someone had put a plastic sheet underneath the top mattress to prevent the spread of dankness to the lower bunk. It had already turned brown, Yang was betting it was a waste water pipe but not sewage, otherwise surely they had to have sorted it by now.

"Who do I speak to about getting that fixed?"

The woman snorted. "No one, honey. Your first time inside?"

Was it really that obvious? Yang nodded. The woman turned to face her with a gap-toothed smile. "Welcome. I'm Olivia." She had the faint remnants of a black eye next to one side of her nose.

"Yang. What are you in for?"

"Seen a lot of movies, huh? I wouldn't ask that around here, if I were you. If someone asks you, don't give them the truth. That's my advice." Yang felt stupid, it wasn't her fault she didn't know all these secret rules.

Yang breathed a sigh and tried not to look around. It was impossible for her attention not to be drawn to other occupant of the cell. Her hair was bright fucking purple, for crying out loud. She was heavily built, brawnier than Yang, taller than Pyrrha, more muscular than both of them put together. Yang was dwarfed by this gargantuan woman, there was little doubt that Yang would be crushed in a fight. She had a large scar starting on her forehead and running all the way across her nose and plain face to her square-ish jaw. She was practically asking to be stared at. "What's your story?" Yang said innocently.

"Don't fucking ask me anything, I don't want to know you. We're not friends."

"Aha, the famous Faunus welcome. Ignore her, she'll warm up to you eventually."

"My best friend is a Faunus."

Yang was awarded a single sarcastic clap. "Good for you."

Olivia laughed. "You won't get much conversation out of her."

"Will you tell me your name at least?"

"We don't have names here, we're numbers."

"But what do I call you?"

"Call her Spartacus. Or whatever you like, it doesn't matter. She mainly answers to Uzo, though."

"Uzo. I'm Yang."

"I know, I heard you the first time. I hope you're not going to cry all night. You look like a little crybaby bitch, you can't be more than 16. You scared, little girl?" Uzo spat on the ground, Yang could see the discoloured spots of concrete where she had done so many times before. It was pretty clear which parts of the cell Uzo thought belonged to her. Yang had the half metre around her bunk and that was it. Uzo didn't want to give her a chance, Yang pressed her arms closer to her sides and bent smaller so she wouldn't bother her cellmates that much.

"Be nice, it's her first night." Olivia got up and clipped Uzo on the back of her head. "The last girl was a crier. Everyone cries at some point, but she was worse than drippy up there," Olivia said jokingly, pointing to the leaky pipe.

"Where is she? What happened to her?" Yang asked, she assumed naturally that the nasty moldy bunk belonged to this girl.

"She killed herself." That was the end of the conversation, Yang didn't want to hear anymore. She sat on her bed in shock, the reality of what was happening to her sinking in, and remained stationery for about an hour. It would have made sense to lie down, she was so tired, but there was no escaping her thoughts. Horrified could only begin to cover how she was feeling, but no tears, yet.

It began to get dark, at 10pm the guards changed shift. The human guards went home, to sleep in their comfortable beds, in their nice, warm houses with their families, and the Faunus and cybernetic guards took over. Olivia made Yang's bed for her, showing her how to fold the corners and tuck in the blanket so that it would pass inspection. Yang was yawning already, the lack of food and home comforts was getting to her. Before she could lay down to rest, Olivia pointed to four painted spots on the concrete floor, near the bars of their cell.

"You have to stand here for the count. They come and do the rounds at half ten and again in the morning, after breakfast."

Yang stood on the spot, swaying with tiredness. She grasped onto the bars to keep herself upright while a guard came by and clicked a counter in her direction. She turned, ready to collapse but Olivia grabbed her arm with a surprisingly strong grip.

"Wait. They have to recount if there's been a mistake."

They recounted twice, each time a different guard.

Yang did not sleep very much, though she was dead tired. Her brain insisted on staying alert in this new, unknown, extremely dangerous place. Neither Olivia nor Uzo woke her in the morning, although she listened to them debate about which one of them was going to do it. After the breakfast that made Yang heave with every bite - the 'eggs' being so watered down it was like they had been pre-digested - Olivia dragged her along to wait in the queue for the pharmacy.

"I don't need any drugs." Yang shrugged.

"Everyone visits the pharmacy, dear. Don't you remember your psych evaluation on your first day?" Olivia persuaded her that they should queue together, so they could get to know each other a little better. Yang humoured her, she didn't have anything better to do. Exploring the prison was ill-advised, danger lurked around every corner and there was no telling who she could run into in there.

"What's this?" she asked when she got to the window, surprised to see they had a pigeonhole with her prisoner number on it.

"Blue one for the nausea, red one for the headaches, big round one is Vitamin C, square white one for the blurry vision. The three gel capsules keep your skin from flaking off and your joints from fusing. Take it and move along."

"I don't need it."

"You do. Take it." The clerk at the window didn't seem too bothered about giving Yang the medicine, she seemed more occupied by the growing queue behind Yang.

"No."

"You've got an implant. Take it. Or walk around looking like an extra from a zombie movie, shitting water and pissing out chunks of your dissolving liver. It's your choice. Do you know how much money I could make by selling these drugs?"

Yang took the little cup and dry swallowed all seven. Not all of them made it down her trachea, and she gagged for water and stumbled over to a fountain, putting her face under the spray. She gulped down as hard as she could and, with the help of a little lubrication, the pills thankfully dislodged. The next morning, she was lined up for the drugs with everyone else, using the water cooler with cone cups as she passed by. She could deal with the headaches, and itchy skin, but fuck the upset stomach and the putrid, slimy shits it caused.

"So like a period? You feel like crap for five days, haemorrhaging bloody shit and whatever, then your headache goes, your flow stops and you're ok again?" she said, when they told her the extent of what she was about to go through.

"Yeah, that's pretty much the gist of it."

"Does it happen to guys?"

"You better believe it does. Men who don't know about it in advance are the most fun to watch."

"I find amusing the ones who think they know it all, particularly the ones who assume that women are making it all up."

Yang was told that with a sufficient and consistent dosage of medication, her symptoms would subside in about four or five days and she was encouraged to eat something. She was desperate enough to chow down on the turkey mince burgers that fell apart in her hands, and counted the hours until her next dose because she was running out of toilet paper fast.

Uzo was persuaded by Olivia to share some pads with Yang until she could get her own from the commissary. Yang did her best to seem cheerful and unaffected by her shitty circumstances, so there were still no nighttime tears, and Uzo was quietly impressed. Yang was too irritated about the leaky pipe to cry anyway. It was impossible to get used to the random dripping sound, so she forced herself to be the first one asleep in their cell. She liked to be the first in the queue for breakfast, otherwise there was literally no chance of getting any fried food. It was the tiniest thing that she had to keep her happy, the salty, greasy goodness of a tiny rasher of cheap bacon on the side of some dry toast.

Once her first week was over, and she shook off the awful side effects of that damned implant that was sapping her energy dry, Yang began to look on the bright side. She had a roof over her head and three daily meals, free healthcare, a library, a gym (a shit one, but beggars can't be choosers), and soon, gainful employment once her work placement was assigned. She was almost looking forward to it, until one of her soon-to-be co-workers threatened with a shiv for absolutely no reason whatsoever. Maybe she looked like easy pickings, or perhaps it was meant as an assertion of dominance, but Yang was shook. She kept watching her back, looking over her shoulder, and jumping at small noises. She prized any sleep she did get, since someone stole her sheets so all she had was a blanket of fear.

Weiss woke up in a chipper mood, she felt like a brand new person compared to the demonic troll that crawled into her bed last night. A miracle, if there ever was one. Her good mood lasted exactly four seconds when she realised she was alone in bed, missing the hot blonde mess that she had grown accustom to, and then remembered the reason why. It was 7am, and she put her lips to the rim of a wine glass she had left unfinished from the night before. The last few days were fuelled almost entirely by alcohol, with the occasional stodgy meal, so she could feel like she had something in her stomach before she started drinking again.

"Seriously, Weiss, already? You haven't even had breakfast yet." Ruby was up and about, fully dressed, although the puffy, dark circles around her eyes gave away her lack of sleep. "Aren't you supposed to be at the gym? That's what you said yesterday, that you weren't going to let Yang being in jail stop you from training."

Weiss grunted remorsefully, but she did put the glass down. "Yeah, well, I said a lot of things yesterday. I was drunk."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "I know, but you told me to remind you about it when you were sober."

"Come back later, my liver doesn't quite think I'm sober yet."

Ruby whipped off Weiss' covers. "No, get up! We have lectures today, and you're going, whether you like it or not. Yang's been gone three days, and you're already a tragic mess. You haven't seen daylight in over 24 hours and I've had enough." Ruby ripped open the curtains, blinding Weiss with the sun. Weiss hissed and clutched her pillow over her head.

"Fucking hell, Ruby. Why do you have to be such a bitch? I'm depressed ok, I feel like shit," she mumbled feebly.

"Yeah, I know. You're smart as well, even while drunk, so you told me what you need to do to get through this. I'm your friend, so I'm making you do it."

"I don't want to do this. I just want to stay here and not see anyone."

"You can't do that. I won't allow it."

"Ruby, please, leave me alone."

"No." Ruby knelt next to Weiss' bed. She tilted her head in sympathy for what she was about to do. "GET UP!"

Weiss jumped at the sudden noise, curled into the foetal position. "I can't, I miss Yang too much."

Ruby rolled her eyes again and folded her arms, even though Weiss had her eyes closed. She was so fed up with Weiss already. All her talk about staying strong, and not letting it get to her was obviously complete bullshit. "Yeah, and what would she think if she saw you like this? This is pathetic, Weiss. I expected you to fall apart at some point, but not so soon."

Weiss groaned again. "Fuck you. That's not helping."

Ruby snatched Weiss' pillow off her and gave a huge blast on her whistle. It made Weiss want to die rather than hear it for a second longer. She waved in vague surrender.

"I'm not gonna tell you again, now move it!" Ruby was just going to keep pummelling her with the pillow until she sorted her life out, got up and showered for the first time in two days. Weiss did not budge. "Weiss, you think I don't know how to deal with drunken assholes? Like my sister, and my uncle. And now you. God, it's like I'm cursed or something. You smell like a tramp, your mouth is a sewer, and you look like shit. If you don't get your shit together, I'm gonna post pictures of you online looking like crap. Ready for the first one? Smile!"

"All right! I'm getting up." Weiss failed to make good on her statement immediately, so Ruby dragged her by the arm. Once she was on her feet, she squared up to Ruby, but in her state of sleeplessness, dehydration, and famine, she looked laughably weak and posed no threat whatsoever. Ruby was not impressed. Ruby directed her against her will into the bathroom.

Ruby kicked Weiss inside, using the sole of her shoe on Weiss' butt. "I'm sorry, but you need this."

Weiss curled against the tiles inside the shower cubicle, naked. She shivered uncontrollably, trying to work up the courage to open her eyes. The light in here was far too shiny, the air was too clean and fresh, it was doing her head in. Everything was so white, bright and reflective, all things she hated at the moment. If she stayed in here for long enough, she would starve to death. Seemed like a good option, rather than facing the world. She used to be able to keep all her shit contained, hidden behind a mask, but lately, Yang had been making her smile so much that the porcelain mask cracked. She was broken, like the one tile in the shower wall that pissed her off, because it was repaired after being split but back to front and upside down. Now the pattern was screwed up, like just about everything in her life.

She heard Blake and Ruby talking about her through the wall. Blake was amazed that she was up and out of bed. They were concerned, rightly so, that Weiss would buckle under the pressure, and Team RWBY would lose another member. Weiss scowled, she was not lost, she was right here. All she needed to do was get back to her old self. Blake was aware that the dividing wall was very thin and not soundproofed, but Ruby was talking at normal volume so Weiss could hear every word. Ruby was at a loss with what to do, she felt hurt and rejected that Weiss turned to alcohol before anything else. Although they were separated, Weiss could hear the disappointment in her voice. If nothing else, Weiss was being a massive let down. She grabbed the soap.

Weiss tackled the gym headfirst, only realising when she got in there that she had no idea what she was doing. It didn't faze her for long, she kicked her own butt into starting and felt the flicker of the OG Weiss Schnee, the one who got shit done. The weights didn't care about her personal problems, she either lifted them or she didn't. Weiss couldn't leave without teaching the iron a lesson. Using everything she had learned from Yang, she made a dust trail around the gym, ripping the weights from the ground, tearing at the machines, attacking every movement with vicious precision. Weiss' forearms were on fire. Her quads were on fire the moment she bent down to initiate her PR attempt deadlift. She tensed and pulled. Her lower back burned as her muscles fought hard to stabilise her trunk. Being the only thing working against gravity to lift the weight of a large man, highlighted the fact that everything was on fire, because she was in hell. She descended far too quickly and was a bit woozy when she stood up.

But her back felt like it was made of rock. It hurt to bend her arms too far because her biceps were bulging beneath her skin. Weiss cautiously raised her arm and contracted her elbow flexors. A prominent peak appeared in the mirror she was posing in. She whipped out her scroll and snapped the slightly lopsided selfie. She stared hard at her reflection. _You pussy, you thought you couldn't do this. Now look at you._ When she was done, her eyes darted around to all the equipment she had used, and then to the sweat that drenched her clothes. She marched out of that gym, beaten to a pulp, but proud of herself. #Gainz #BEASTMODE

She imagined Yang being there the entire way through her workout. Granted it was not the same, but Yang's coaching was embedded in Weiss' outstanding memory. It turned out to be one of her most memorable workouts to date. The resulting pain would make sure that she had vivid flashbacks about it every time she sat on the toilet. After a real shower, and also one that she thoroughly enjoyed, Weiss was able to be a much more focused, functioning student. She ate food, lots of it. She rewarded herself with a slice of Moonbeans coffee cake, along with her favourite latte, and then the Ice Queen was back.

Weiss developed a pattern, a strict regime, to enable her to cope. It reminded her of her father, and her old life, where she was Torsten Schnee's heiress first, his daughter second, and coming in a distant last, her own person. It started small, she blocked off her time, so that the training was an appointment that she had to keep, no matter what. When she was in the gym, she focused on that. Feeling sorry for herself was not scheduled in, so that wasn't an option. At last, she realised what a waste of time wallowing was, and Weiss took off with her new wings. She went back to acing every class, her new strength and stamina wowed her professors. Ruby only caught her drinking once or twice.

Since everyone already knew, Wino felt free to make wisecracks about it and that made it harder for Ruby to bring it up in serious conversation. It was so bait when Weiss would go 'shopping' and return with a couple of new items of clothing, and brown paper bags that rattled. Blake told Ruby about the cute collection of miniature bottles that Weiss threw in the trash every week. This was on top of the bottle or two of wine that she polished off every night, Weiss drank that openly but since it was 'only' wine, it did not concern anyone apart from Ruby.

Ruby eventually caught her in the act, Weiss let slip the heavy hip flask she kept close to her heart. She gasped when she saw it, and mustered up her best scowl when Weiss turned around to check whether she had been seen by anyone else.

"What?" Weiss feigned ignorance. It did not suit her.

"Weiss, it's three o'clock in the afternoon. Are you drinking?" Ruby said, almost ripping her hair out in frustration.

Weiss put the metal flask back in her top pocket. "No."

Ruby shook her head, disgraced by Weiss and her blatant lies. "Find something else to replace her with. Otherwise you'll just keep hurting yourself."

"Give me a break. A bit of vodka every now and again never hurt anyone." This situation was stressful, so Weiss took a cheeky glug and smiled, to prove her point.

"But this is more like every damned day on the hour, every hour. Don't think I haven't noticed." Ruby grabbed the flask, and she frowned when Weiss wouldn't let it go. They jerked about, fighting over it until some of the spirit leaked out. Ruby dried her hands on her skirt, but Weiss sucked her fingers clean. Ruby watched her aghast. "Do you love alcohol more than you love Yang?"

"No. Shut up. I'm fine, I can stop any time I want."

Ruby scoffed. "Yeah, right! How do you do this, and school, and gym, and still keep up with everyone else?"

Weiss had to pause to think about it, the answer was in the flask but it wasn't what Ruby wanted to hear. "I'm not sure myself."

With Weiss distracted, Ruby snatched the flask and lobbed it over a fence.

"Hey, my mother gave that to me!"

"I'm sure she has plenty more where that came from. Weiss, please. I know this is an awful time, and I don't blame you for finding it hard. But this can't be your life, it's damaging you too much. I seem to be the only one who can see what it's doing to you. It's like you don't even care if you're alive when Yang gets back."

However angry Weiss was at Ruby for throwing away her possession, it was replaced with remorse. She thought she wasn't hurting anyone, but it was clearly upsetting Ruby. Weiss abandoned her plan to find a gate through the fence and look for her flask later.

"That's because I'm good at hiding it. I always have been."

"You're hiding it because you know it's wrong, Weiss. Please, please, _please_ find something else. How about gym, gym is good."

As much as she hated to admit it, Ruby was right. Her life had improved dramatically once she started lifting. Her confidence levels soared, her loved to look at herself in the mirror and in photos instead of grimacing at the perceived unattractiveness of her face. Once she had revealed her strength in training fights, people were at first shocked, and then wary of her, almost like she intimidated people, much like Yang had done. What happened behind the scenes, when she was alone or in the company of close friends, undermined every aspect of the impeccable image she portrayed. Weiss hung her head and sighed. She told Ruby that she would fix up, look sharp, and Ruby wouldn't have to worry about her anymore. Weiss turned, hiding her face so Ruby couldn't see her tears, but Ruby grabbed her arm and pulled. Weiss was forced into a hug, but it was ok, she could still hide her face.

"You were so happy when you were with Yang. She changed you, she made you… _warmer_." Ruby whispered.

Weiss nodded, suddenly struggling to find her voice. "I know. Sorry," she mumbled.

"Hey, it's ok." Ruby leaned back and smiled at Weiss. Weiss knew how ugly she looked, her makeup was ruined, her eyes were itchy and inflamed, her face must be all blotchy and red too. It was nothing compared to how ugly she felt on the inside. But Ruby saw none of that, only Weiss' pain and her imminent collapse. She looked so lost without her protective shield, the drink that helped numb her feelings. Ruby cuddled Weiss even harder.

"Just tell me what you need, and I'll help." Ruby had no idea how, but she would.

"Why are you doing this for me?"

"Because I'm worried about you, more worried than I am for Yang at the moment."

From then on, Ruby stuck to Weiss like hot glue. She even offered to go to the gym with her, but Weiss changed her mind at the last minute and wanted to train alone. Lifting blasted the cobwebs out of Weiss' brain, she threw herself into weightlifting, like she promised Ruby. It mended the cracks and filled the void quite wonderfully.

There was also something else, something she hadn't noticed before. Waking up after leg day, she was inundated with an endless flow of thoughts about sex. Yang featured heavily in her fantasies, obviously, she was the only person who could fuck the living daylights out of her. Lying in bed, Weiss rubbed her thighs together, moaning softly as her muscles protested at even the slightest use. She had taken only a short break from lifting, but her body was making her regret it.

"Please, no," Weiss murmured, "not again." A breathy sigh escaped her throat, right as her thumb brushed her mound. She pressed her legs together tightly hoping that would suppress her lust-crazed mood. Instead she got relief for half a second before her pussy throbbed again with gusto. She whimpered through slightly parted and recently licked lips. Her eyes focused on the locked drawer containing all her toys.

"I'm having a shower."

Blake spun around on her desk chair. "Another one? That's the third time today."

"It's hot. There's a heat wave," Weiss said irritably.

"Thanks for the update, weather girl."

"Well, talk to me then, I'm bored."

"Ok, let's talk."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't care, you pick."

Weiss paused while she struggled to think of something to say that wasn't about Yang. The blonde now owned a significant portion of Weiss' mental real estate and she had taken up permanent residence inside her head. The most common small talk topic was off limits because they had already mentioned it. Blake was waiting for her. _Shit, shit shit!_ "Heard any good bands lately?"

"Not really, I like kinda niche stuff anyway."

 _Are you fucking kidding me?_ "Oh. Cool."

Blake paused. She was annoyed at the thick tension caused by their awkward conversation, she knew Weiss only wanted to talk about one thing. Blake sighed and rolled her eyes. "You miss her really bad, don't you?"

"Honestly, this is driving me insane, I have no idea how you and Sun do this."

"It's not the same for us, we can technically see each other whenever we want, talk on the phone, and stuff. Sorry, probably not what you wanted to hear right now."

"No, you're right." Weiss hesitated yet again. Fuck it, she thought, Blake was her friend, it was stupid to hide her pain. "I'm still suffering, Blake. I miss her so much. Don't you?"

"Yeah. But clearly, not as much as you. You didn't get to tell her before she went, she still doesn't know." Blake's statement was a sort of question, but Weiss could only answer by shaking her head. Blake reached out a sympathetic hand to touch her arm. Weiss went for a full hug immediately.

"Sorry," she mumbled into Blake's chest, knowing she had overstepped Blake's boundaries.

"Don't be, it's ok." Blake accepted Weiss into her arms. "Tell me about it, I'm listening. Talk to me."

Weiss shook her head, she didn't want to appear weak, but it was a bit late for that. She cried out, desperately clinging to Blake, sniffling and blubbering. Full words were too difficult at first, but after a few deep breaths she regained a bit of control. "I know it seems like I'm ok, that I'm handling it. But I'm not, I'm really, really not. She's not here, and I don't know when she's coming back. I miss her terribly. She's stuck in a horrible jail and there's nothing I can do about it and I hate myself for it."

"There there. I'm afraid you're right, though. Nothing much you can do about, is there? I didn't realise you were affected by it so much."

"By day, I can get by because everything's going on, and I'm too busy. But, at night, when I'm all alone, that's when I miss her the most. I'm fighting this silent battle everyday and honestly I just want to give up. Sorry, I'm such a mess right now. I'm trying to hold it together but-"

There was nothing 'together' about Weiss. Blake tightened the hug, letting Weiss know that she was full of sympathy, and that she understood. It felt so good to be held by someone, it was no replacement for Yang, but it would have to do. "You never realise how much you need a person, until they're gone. I know it's a cliche, but I feel this big, gaping hole where I'd gotten so used to her being there, I can't shake this feeling that I'm going to lose her." Blake soothed her as Weiss fell apart. Thinking that she was going to lose Yang was bad enough, saying it outloud felt like being flayed an inch at a time.

Blake let Weiss cry in her arms for a while, and only spoke up once she knew Weiss was ready to listen to reason. "Number one, don't hate yourself. You're a victim of circumstance, blaming yourself is kinda low. And pathetic. Number two, giving up? Stop it, it's not helping. I know Yang's gone, but she wouldn't want you to spend your days like this. It's ok to miss her, but you're doing yourself no favours by letting it get you down."

"I know, but it still hurts."

Blake held her tenderly. "You are so in love, it's actually kinda gross."

Weiss croaked a laugh. "Fucking hell, look at me. Breakdown number 4, I think we're up to. I'm not living up to my name, am I?" She left the hug, before she got stuck that way, so Blake would not get annoyed by her neediness.

"Not really, Ice Queen."

Weiss smiled, at last. "Anyway, I'm going to have that shower now."

"Have fun. I would've thought that by now, you would've run out of batteries. I'm surprised you don't sing in the shower, Ice Queen."

Weiss stomped out without a word, to have a pretend shower and an angry silent fingerfuck. Ruby was just entering the dorm and was brought out of her own little world when the bathroom door slammed. She gave a look of exasperation to Blake, who was cracking up. "Do you have to tease her? I'm not saying that it's not hilarious, but I think it's actually getting to her. She's still feeling a bit fragile."

"I know, but she could do with a laugh." Blake shrugged. Ruby smirked. Without realising, Blake was becoming more and more like Yang with every passing day. Once the dust had settled of the giant hole being punched in Team RWBY, the remnants of the team had to support themselves as best they could. They did this by absorbing and displaying the best bits of Yang so that it almost replicated her presence. Weiss had her vanity and confidence, Blake, her sense of humour and ability to find the dirty side of everything. The only one who didn't change that much was Ruby.

Weiss switched on the shower but found that she didn't have the desire or the energy to masturbate. She also lacked the energy to cry. Once again, she could hear Blake and Ruby talk about her. What they were saying kind of scared her, because there was no denying the truth. Even if Yang came back tomorrow, there was no going back to how it was. She had shown them a side of her that they could never unsee, the part of her she had promised to leave behind in Atlas, the part of her that was more like her mother than she cared to admit. Since they had met the real her, she wondered whether they would still want to be her friend.

They failed to hide their guilty looks and quickly swallowed whatever they were about to say next when Weiss abruptly came out of the bathroom. Her eyes gave away the fact that she knew what they had been talking about, and being caught out embarrassed Ruby and Blake into silence. There was no talking for the rest of the night. So this was her life now, Weiss would be lovesick and horny during the day, and at night she would be lonely and cold while she cried herself to sleep. All she had to look forward to was visiting Yang tomorrow, seeing her was sure to relieve some of the anxiety of being away from her.

Weiss arrived by cab to the imposing grey stone building that served as Vale's go-to high security prison. The Winchester was one of the oldest buildings in Vale, set into its own vast grounds, away from residential areas and commercial centres. Security on the outside was equal or better than security on the inside, the Grimm were devastatingly attracted to a grim place like this. Weiss had heard of the specialised group of Huntsmen that were drafted from Beacon to make up the numbers needed to defend it from daily attacks. They were a surly, humourless lot who were rough and unpleasant during their procedures to check her into the prison as a visitor. She was patted down, and told to remove any metal objects before walking through the detector gates. Things like her watch, all jewellery, her scroll, her entire handbag basically were taken from her and thrown into an unsecure box so she could pick them up when she left. She told them that she would sue if any items were damaged or missing, that was the one thing that made them crack a smile and laugh derisively at her.

It was a short walk to the visitor centre that was segregated from the main body of the prison. She guessed that this part was kept to a higher standard of cleanliness than the rest of the prison due to it being the public face of the jail, but she caught enough glimpses behind hastily closed doors, that the prison obviously wasn't designed for human comfort. Weiss had been nervous walking in there, but after feeling the horrendous dread that engulfed her, she wasn't so sure she could actually go through with it. She gulped. Yang was expecting her, they didn't talk too long on the phone because it would make them cry, but it ended with the promise that Weiss would come to visit. Second thoughts were therefore unacceptable, but Weiss' cold feet moved slowly, like she was trudging through treacle.

Weiss could tell by looking at her that she wasn't eating properly. It was like she had aged a decade in a week, she was pale, strung out, haggard, and her lips looked parched. But all she could focus on was the hair. How it was so dark, such a stark contrast to her previous look, and made Yang seem creepy and intimidating. When their hands touched as they hugged through iron bars, her hands were freezing cold. All Weiss could think of was how wrong it was for Yang to be here.

As much as the booths were semi-private, Yang noticed but didn't acknowledge the fact that everyone was staring at Weiss and her white hair with her nice clothes and her expensive perfume. She hated all the attention they were getting, it only meant trouble for her later. Yang wasn't sure she should pick up the handset and talk to Weiss who was ready and waiting for her. Conversation was clipped and forced, Weiss should've realised that Yang felt like shit, worse than she looked. Yang didn't answer verbally when Weiss asked her how she was, but her dark scowl made Weiss shrink back in fear.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"You seem a lot different, and not just your hair."

"Sorry." Yang's voice was gruff. "They, uh, shot me with this thing."

Embarrassment rippled all through Weiss. "I think I've heard of what you're about to tell me. Schnee scientists discovered a chemical that suppresses aura while researching how to harness its power. I'm so sorry they did that to you. I never thought I would know someone who ended up-"

"You knew all along? You mean to tell me that you could've warned me, instead of letting me walk into it blind! Do you know what it does to you? The side effects?" Weiss looked down in shame and nodded. "They should've killed me instead."

"But it's only temporary. I know it sucks but you're still alive, you're gonna make it through."

"Barely." Yang scoffed bitterly. "I might as well be dead. They took my soul away, they should've just finished me off. I'm nothing, worthless." Her raggedy black hair was partially obscuring her suspicious, permanently stressed eyes. She looked so old, like way more life had been been compressed in the weeks they were separated, more than had happened to Weiss. "My body is useless, it doesn't give me any power here. I can't use my aura, I can feel it but it's like trying to catch a liquid with a net. I always feel like I'm chasing after it, so I feel drained and tired and exhausted all the time."

Weiss would rather scoop out her eyeballs with a trowel than look at Yang with pity. "If anyone hurts you, you have to tell me straight away."

"Why, what are you gonna do? Kick their ass for me?" Yang snapped.

"No." Weiss didn't know what she would do, she just thought it sounded like something she should say in this awful situation.

"You're fucking useless."

"I would write a stern-" Weiss spoke over Yang, but like Yang said, it would be useless. "You do a sick but scary impression of Blake."

"How is she? Will she be coming to visit?"

Weiss was starting to get the feeling that Yang was unhappy about her being there. She had raised a huge barrier between them, and not just the thick, sound- and bullet-proofed window that sat between them. "You have to put her name down if you want her to come see you."

"Oh. Right. Got anything actually interesting to say, or do you want to just call it a day?"

Weiss' eyes widened. Yang being like this was scary as hell. She scrambled for some news, something positive. "Our page is the highest ranked page on Scrollmates right now."

"Wow. Great." Yang huffed. That was so unimportant, and absolutely worthless to Yang.

"Our fans… Your fans, they've been really great actually. A lot have been really supportive, they believe in your innocence."

"Pfft. I don't."

"Yang, don't be like that. You can't give up hope, or you'll lose everything."

Yang stared into her lap. "I don't care." She refused to make eye contact when she did look up.

"But you have to care, don't you wanna get out of here?"

"I said, I don't fucking care anymore. You shouldn't care either. You're the reason I'm in here in the first place. I don't want to see you at the moment. Just go. I've had enough of you."

" _Yang_!"

"Don't bother coming again. All you've done is make me feel like shit."

Weiss stood. "How dare you- Forget it, I'm not wasting anymore time on you." Yang and Weiss stared each other out from either side of the bars that separated the visitors' section. They were meant to hug goodbye through the bars, but Yang turned on her heel and walked to the security office to be strip searched.

Weiss escaped that horrid place as fast as she could. The cab driver even offered to stop and console her, when she could barely get words out in response to his small talk. She thanked him, told him it was unnecessary, and cried even harder when he started driving again. Weiss slunk into the dorm, trying to avoid being noticed, but it was futile. Ruby and Blake were surrounding her the moment she walked in.

"How is she? She ok?"

Weiss shook her head with her eyes screwed shut. She didn't want to be the one to tell them the bad news. Obviously they knew Yang was in prison, but Weiss couldn't bear to be the one to break it to them that Yang was living in a literal hell. Ruby would be foolish enough to scheme a method of breaking her out, and she wouldn't blame Blake for packing up and leaving since her partner was going to fail everything and leave her with nothing, on top of being caught in the deep end of serious criminal activities, which is why she left her last group of friends.

"Is it bad? How bad is it?"

Weiss pulled at her hair, and she grimaced. "I really don't want to talk about it."

Ruby's eyes filled up with tears. "Weiss, please don't shut us out."

"I'm sorry, I just-" Weiss turned to face the window. "Just leave me alone, I need time to think."

Blake had to tug on Ruby's cloak to get her to leave. Weiss stood in the centre of the room, statuesque, for some time. She stared at Yang's empty side of the bed, praying that Yang would walk in behind her and dump her stuff in a messy pile, like always. The dorm was too clean, there was not enough clutter, and far too quiet. If Yang had been there making a mess, Weiss would have someone to yell at to get all her negativity out. But as it was, Weiss felt sick that her anger was getting the better of her. Anger at Yang, anger at the stupid idiot who was now dead in the ground, anger at the doctors who couldn't save him, anger at her team for being too sympathetic and not angry along with her, anger at the stupid justice system that incarcerated Yang when they have not even proven that she's guilty.

Weiss didn't come down for dinner that evening. Ruby took her a plate, but Weiss ignored it. Whenever Weiss would let her thoughts run away from her, she became frozen until she shuddered in order to shake off her need to cry. Ruby felt helpless, as she sat at her desk trying to get some work done, every time she heard Weiss' pen stop moving. Ruby was stung by a chill, like someone left the window open all night, but it was just her feelings of pity for the usually so self-assured and confident heiress.

Blake came in for the night around 10, Weiss and Ruby had not spoken a word to each other for hours. Weiss wasn't able to produce a sound to greet Blake, but she nodded at Weiss anyway, as if she had. Bedtime rolled around, and Weiss climbed under her covers as soon as possible. Ruby was prepared for bed too, but sleeping wasn't on her mind. She popped her head over the side of her bunk.

"Weiss… Is everything all right?" Ruby was met with silence broken by a quiet huff. "Weiss, I know you're pretending to be asleep. You know we want to talk to you."

Weiss groaned, gathered the blankets into a bunch she could cuddle, and spun around to face the other way. Blake was standing there, with her hands on her hips. She tilted her head to side in sympathy.

"You can talk about it with us. We want you to."

"Excuse me, I don't know what you are talking about."

"We know you cry yourself to sleep, I thought you might want some company tonight." Weiss felt the tears come early, she had always told herself that Blake and Ruby had no idea that she sobbed into her blankets, clinging to Yang's beaten up, old pillow, wearing Yang's T-shirts. Blake tapped on Ruby's bunk. "What do you say, Ruby? We engineered this crazy contraption so there could be a double bed, we might as well use it." Ruby pushed her many covers out of bed first before following, already in her softest pajamas.

"Don't you worry, Weiss. We'll help you sleep soundly." She climbed on the bed to Weiss' right. Blake waited for express permission in the form of a nod before taking her place on the pillow.

"If you ever need us, we're here for you, you know." Blake took hold of one of the hands that Weiss had curled against her chest. "I know I'm not the most social of creatures, and I never know the right thing to say, but if you need a hug, be brave and ask for one. I swear I won't bite."

Ruby curled up behind her, almost spooning, but not touching her. Weiss took in a big, loud sniff. "You guys don't have to do this, I'll be fine." Her voice was thick and stuffy with feelings that she could not hide.

Blake laughed. "You're terrible at hiding your feelings." Blake stretched out and found the most comfortable position for her head and arms in the den of pillows she had made. "You need this, now shut up and accept it." she said, pulling Weiss into her den.

Weiss released the tears she had been holding back at their unexpected generous display of friendship. As a pair, she and Yang had been slightly ignoring them and taking them for granted, especially Ruby. Weiss sobbed softly over her shoulder into Blake's dark hair. Ruby rubbed her arm gently so Weiss reached back to grab her hand. Ruby threaded their fingers together and hugged herself to a trembling Weiss, feeling so sorry for the lonely girl.

"Thank you," Weiss whispered. "I don't deserve friends like you."

"Sure you do, and it's ok, we miss her too." Ruby squeezed her hand. Weiss sniffled and turned over to embrace Ruby, tears flying from her face.

"I'm sorry, Ruby, I've been so selfish. I keep forgetting you're her sister, this must be awful for you."

Ruby firmly hugged her back, and nuzzled the nape of her neck. "After seeing what it's done to you, I'd say you have it worse, a lot worse. But I hope she's back soon, like really soon. It's so quiet around here without her. She's the best at cracking jokes, making it seem like it's not the end of the world." Weiss and Ruby's legs came to a mutual agreement of Ruby-Weiss-Ruby-Weiss because Weiss could lean some of her weight on Blake. They cradled her between them.

"I know, and the only person I've been thinking about is myself. And you," she said, clinging to the arms that were keeping her safe. "You're her best friend. I know you were arguing a lot before, but you must miss her."

"Of course." Blake said instantly. There was no doubt that, lately, they had been getting on each other's nerves. They were expanding as people, it was only natural to step on one another's toes sometimes. But there was no denying the sisterly bond that Yang and Blake had developed, and what sisters didn't fight from time to time? Sometimes it was easy to forget that they hadn't grown up in the same house, Blake understood all the sisters' inside jokes. Blake had been to visit them over the break. Ruby diligently took her to all their favourite spots on their quaint little island, and Yang dragged her to the local watering hole a few times. She met Tai's mother, Ruby and Yang's grandmother, who insisted on feeding her incessantly as she was 'just skin and bones', so Blake ate the most food she had ever eaten in one sitting on a number of separate occasions.

Blake even grew accustom to Zwei's presence, and he begged and whined to be her friend until she gave in. Zwei was so pleased to have someone else acknowledge all the smells and sounds that his human masters ignored, and she caught herself turning to the enthusiastic pooch whenever she could smell meat on the grill from someone else's kitchen, or when she knew Ruby or Yang were coming home before they opened the door. She was still rather wary of canines in general, but he was the first one that had been pleasant with her, and it relaxed her somewhat around other dogs. Blake didn't know how to express all the love and gratitude she had for being made to feel like one of the family, part of their proud bloodline of Huntsman warriors, a real member of the clan. She didn't need to, Yang and Ruby constantly repeated how it was a pleasure and an honour to have her as their guest, so much that they got Tai saying it as well. It was the best month of Blake's life, it made her feel so alive.

"Don't worry about us, we're not the ones who need help right now." Blake put her arm protectively over Weiss from behind and found a bit of Ruby's leg to wrap her thighs around so they were all snuggled in for the night, nice and tight. They kept the sheet they were using as a cover down around their middles due to the heat, and used each other for warmth and comfort. Ruby plucked Blake's hand from between their bodies and put it to rest on the curve of her hip. Blake smushed them all even closer together.

Weiss finally cracked a weepy smile. "Thanks for doing this. Love you guys," she croaked. Weiss wiggled an arm free so she could reach back and stroke Blake's face tenderly. Blake leaned forward so Weiss could turn to kiss her softly on the cheek. The invisible glue called best friendship bonded them to each other forever, with Weiss willingly entangled and forever grateful that she was trapped in the middle.

"Love you too, Ice Queen." Ruby said, after receiving her kiss. Blake did one final stretch and settled, her sleepy eyes fell closed. Weiss felt wet droplets splash on her skin just behind ear and realised with a guilt-ridden shudder that Ruby was crying too. Ruby was the youngest one, the least mature, though Weiss had never seen her cry about Yang, or about anything really. Weiss tightened her arms around her leader and friend.

"Is it Yang?" Weiss whispered.

Ruby could only nod and draw in shakier breaths. Her whole body tingled and she was shivering and sweating. Weiss held strong to Ruby to let her know that she was loved, even when her usual source of primary care was absent. She hoped Ruby could tell that she meant that she would be there for her and support her too, as the best teammate and friend she promised she would become. Weiss rocked her gently.

"What if she never comes home?" The thought was one of Weiss' greatest fears, obviously one of Ruby's as well. The happiness she had finally found in Yang, like a sheltered, refreshing oasis, had been ruthlessly terrorised and torn apart, shattered into so many pieces that it could never be put back together. It pained her, but she resolved not to get her hopes up that she would ever feel that happy again. She may, one day, just have to accept the fact that she'd had the best time of her life already, and nothing else would compare.

"We'll see her again." Weiss told herself.

"But she'll be in a cage, like she's in a zoo."

Weiss felt a huge rush of affection for Ruby, she was the only person she knew who could love Yang as much as she did. She couldn't let her know of the true horror that Yang was going through at this very moment. "It's nothing like that." Weiss said, though she had definitely got the zoo vibe from walking through that place.

"Is she safe? I'm scared for her."

The particular type of danger that Yang was in, made Weiss' blood run icy. "It's the guards' job to protect her."

"I thought it was to keep her from escaping?"

"Well, yeah, there is that too. But they're also there to keep the peace."

"Do they fight then? Was Yang in a fight? Did she show 'em who's boss?"

"She's not really up for fighting anyone in there, Ruby. She's sick actually, so she has to take this horrible strong medicine to make her better."

"She's sick? What's wrong with her? Does she have her blankie?"

"Her what?"

"I mean, her scarfie. It's not actually a scarf, it started life with Yang as her baby blanket. She never went anywhere without it. My mom was tired of washing the mud out of it so she sewed it together into a circle and pinned it to Yang's collar so she couldn't lose it and had it on her at all times. Dad always teased her about it, the one piece of her childhood she would never let go of."

"That was sweet of your mom, but Yang didn't have it when I saw her."

"I think if they gave it to her, she'd feel a lot better. Make her feel more at home."

Weiss' skin broke out in goosebumps. How naive Ruby could be, Yang would never want to make that place her home. Yang's home was here, with Weiss, and Ruby, and Blake, and the rest of her friends. At least, Weiss hoped it was. "I'm sure she's thinking of home quite a lot. It's obvious Yang misses us."

There was a lot else that Yang was missing too, but Weiss couldn't break it to Yang's beloved baby sister that Yang's soul was separated from her body, and it had made her _different_. Razors stormed through her guts, cutting her innards with shame. Even though it had nothing to do with her personally, Weiss hated the fact that the technology that committed this atrocity to Yang had her name emblazoned on it. She recalled the pride of being let in on the secret of this new technology before the public reveal, and being impressed with the scientists for coming with such an efficient way of detaining the most dangerous convicts. She had convinced herself that the SDC had finally done something good for once, the harsh side effects were just punishment for their crimes. Her father was very proud of her that she saw the commercial use of the tech even at a mere 10 years old. She cursed herself for being completely blind to the brutality, until it was inflicted on someone she loved, now she wouldn't wish it on anyone.

"I miss her a lot." Ruby said, bringing herself closer to Weiss.

"So do I." Weiss pressed her cheek firmly against Ruby's, trapping and squishing her tears between them both. She wrapped the young girl even tighter in her arms, and held her tenderly until Ruby dozed off in that position. Weiss relaxed her hold on Ruby, and settled in for the night. Blake's arm sleepily curled around her tummy, and Weiss drifted towards calm and hopeful dreams, finally able to see better days on the horizon.

Yang blew the dust off the pair of iron weights she was using. The prison gym didn't have everything, and she had to make do with the stuff that wasn't broken. She was lucky if she found anything she needed, but it didn't take a genius to pick up some heavy stuff off the floor. She was using the quietest corner of the gym, but her workout was interrupted by a huge _clang!_ Yang stood up straight and looked over towards the sound that was unmistakeable in a gym - a heavy deadlift being dropped. She knew that silhouette anywhere. There were very few guys who could blot the light from an entire doorway, but there he was, standing in front of Yang wearing the same orange prison overalls. Ash had ripped his sleeves, his boulder shoulders and huge guns were too much for the standard issue XXXL size and the neck hole was noticeably too small.

"Ash?"

He turned sharply at the sound of his name. His scowl lessened when he saw who was calling him. "Yang? Wow, you look fucking different."

"You look…" Apart from the clothes, and lack of bling, he was the same freaky monster of a man. He'd got himself a crew cut and grown out his beard, despite that the overall look was the same. But Yang's memories were filled with the image of his skinny, ectomorph self, the version of him that had abducted girls the same age as Yang or younger to be sex slaves. "The same." she finished ambiguously.

"I feel like I'm supposed to be surprised to see you, but somehow I'm not."

"You were there that night. Were you watching me?"

"Someone told me I'd get a kick out of who you were drinking and flirting with that night. Did not expect to see that Schnee girl hanging off your arm."

"Well, you were there to see the fireworks. You shot him." Ash nodded. "Did you shoot him because you wanted to make sure I'd get sent down or what?"

"I did it to put him out of his misery. It was mercy. Stupid cunt didn't even have the brains to die then."

"So you did it? You killed him on purpose."

"Did I? What happened that night? It was quite a while ago, are you sure that your memories are accurate? Weren't you drunk?"

Yang poked a stiff finger into his pec. "Don't do that. I know what happened better than anyone. You're the bad guy here, I know all about you and _The Butcher_."

He gave her a devious smirk. He was definitely a bad guy, but they were both in prison, and their fate was in the hands of a judge. The statute of limitations was long expired on his past crimes, he could not be tried for those murders. They were both in the same position. "I've changed since then. I'm different now."

"A changed man, huh? I don't think that part of you is completely dead."

"I'm serious. I have the gym now, I work, I don't get involved in that shit anymore."

"You don't work, you sell drugs." To be fair, it was a step up from sex trafficker. "Speaking of, what the hell are you eating because you're crazy big, are you still on gear?"

"A bit, yeah. I'm glad you said that, because I've actually lost weight. I'm holding water, so it looks like I'm maintaining size, which is important in here. All I do is workout, eat, rest, eat, workout, eat some more, and sleep. Pretty much a perfect environment for growth. It's not easy but you can get sufficient macros if you include the stuff from the commissary."

"What are you eating? What you are taking?"

"T, and DECA, oh, and some Winstrol. That's about all you can get smuggled in. The prices are crazy, I got bros on the outside who take care of that for me."

"And food?"

"I always trade my dessert at lunch and dinner for the flavour packs you get in ramen noodles, mix that with whatever they serve and it tastes more like onions and salt than something that died next to a radiation leak. If you get to know the kitchen staff, they can sneak in extra protein for you, and ask for extra veg, there's always leftover veg."

"Always eat your greens." Yang mused.

"Eat everything they give you. You need all the calories. Well, you might not, you're smaller than me."

"My maintenance is around 3,000 calories a day."

"Wow, yeah, then you should eat almost everything. You're lucky, I need minimum 5,000 and that's barely scraping by. If you can do two or three a day training, you'll grow like a weed."

Yang looked down at her body, it certainly had taken a hit from all the turmoil of her incarceration and resultant emotional upset. She had lost the abs she had worked hard to maintain in less than one week. It wasn't her fault, the food was shit, she couldn't sleep properly, and she had been too sick to even think about working out. She knew, obviously, of the stereotyped ex-con who returned to the world ripped and at peak physical perfection, but her love for training had eroded away, along with her spirit when they sucked the strength right out of her. "I'm not eating properly, I don't like the food here."

"Well, whatever's wrong with you, you better get over it quickly. People who don't keep their strength up don't last long in here. At least you found the gym, it's shit, right?"

Yang laughed, it sounded so foreign. "Yeah, it is. Does anything work in there?"

"Iron is iron, the free weights are ok if you can find anything. Main problem is still food. From the commissary, make sure you get those little packets of peanut butter, they sell out quick, they're good for breakfast or all the time really, 'cos it's peanut butter. Get tuna as well, they're only tiny cans but it's lean protein, and it's pretty easy to get the cash for one a day. Oh, and don't drink anything that people offer you."

"Why?"

"It'll either be bleach or piss. If you're lucky, it'll just be the hooch that leaves scorch marks on your uvula. They all love pranks, so you can't trust anybody. And whatever you do, don't piss off the chefs."

"Thanks for the advice. Sounds like I'm gonna need it in here."

"You got a job yet?"

"Groundskeeper."

"Damn girl, you're going to get so lean. That's a lot of physical work, it's tough. Seen dudes crash and burn from exhaustion doing that, they work you to the bone. But on the other hand, that's your way into the kitchen, when you deliver the fresh veg."

"It's my first day tomorrow, so I'll make sure I'm extra nice."

"I'm sure you won't have a hard time doing that."

She crossed her arms, she knew what he meant with his split second eyebrow raise and sly grin. "No, I don't do that anymore. I've changed too. I'm with someone. Like, properly."

"You sure he's not out there right now, balls deep in some fat bitch?"

"She's a girl, so yeah, I'm quite sure about that."

"Is it serious between you?"

"Well…" Yang rubbed her back of her head, and then smoothed down the hair she had put out of place. It was a thousand times more serious than what she considered her relationship was with him, and she had no idea how to begin to explain it.

"I'm kidding, I don't wanna know." He chuckled through his nose. "I don't give a fuck who you fuck, unless it's me."

"So you knew?"

"Knew? Of course I knew you were whoring yourself out to anything and everything, you stupid, little girl. I knew before you spoke to me, I'd been watching you."

"Why did you sleep with me then?"

"You got a fine ass. Anyway, like I said, it's none of my business who you have sex with."

"Fair." Yang curled her mouth down and raised both her eyebrows, nodding in agreement. "I guess-" Yang sighed. "I'm sorry I lied to you."

"I would've done the same thing in your position. Yang, I'd say it was good to see you, but, you know." He shrugged and winked. They had reached Yang's cell. She did the lowest limbo dance she'd ever done to avoid touching his lips as they came for her. He hugged her very awkwardly, he could sense that she didn't want to touch him but he did it regardless. She shrugged it off, and cringed as he walked away. She turned into her cell.

"How do you know _him_? Who are you exactly?"

"Why, who's he?" Yang found it easy to feign ignorance, playing the role of Dumb Blonde, even though, at the moment, she couldn't prove that she was blonde or had ever been blonde.

Olivia frowned at Yang like she was worried about her mental health. "Twenty years ago, there was a gang in Mistral, raiding villages and towns. He was the leader, the mastermind behind the whole operation. They would steal girls like you, out of their homes, out of their beds, take them away from their families, to sell them as slaves. I think it's fair to say that the lucky ones got the chop. He owned an abattoir and used to feed his victims' bodies to the pigs, to fatten them up before he slaughtered the swine for meat. He's a killer, fully-fledged psychopath. He's been close to being caught before, but this time, it's definite. The evidence is concrete, he'll go down for sure. Wonder what happened, he's been quite elusive before now."

"Probably because he looks like a completely different person now."

Olivia's pencil slipped out of her hand. She twisted to stare at Yang. "Why would you say that?"

Uzo bared her teeth. "You. You're in on it, with _him_."

"So, that's what you're in for? Murder?"

Uzo's eyes darkened. "She didn't know who he really was, she's probably just his pawn, one of his little whores."

"Unless she's lying. She could be telling the truth, there's no guarantee, we've only just met her."

"Either way, undeniable proof that there's more to her than meets the eye."

"Surprised they didn't put someone like you and him straight in C Wing."

"C Wing?"

"Where they put the dangerous inmates and the violent convicts. I hear it's a lovely little wing, two to a room, except you'll have to get used to living in a small sardine can. Separate meal times to the rest of us, first dibs on breakfast. Although of course, you'll be cramped up, shoulder to shoulder, with the most dangerous criminal scum Vale has to offer, never sure if the person you're confined with will kill you in your sleep because you looked at them funny. Although, of course, a C Wing cellmate would always be thinking the same about you."

Olivia and Uzo kept their distance from Yang from that point on. They tried their best to leave when she was in the cell, and Olivia inhaled her meals to avoid being seen with her. The news spread quickly that Ash and Yang knew each other, and were more than friendly. Two tough guys started laying into her one day, saying that they had a message for Ash. Yang didn't manage to hear what it was before getting punched. Uzo managed to duck into the shadows even though they were working together on the same vegetable patch. Yang did what she could to defend herself, but didn't have much luck, and she learned exactly how much she relied on her aura and semblance to carry her through fights. She protected her face mostly, so they landed at least fifty strikes on her mid-section. She was confused when they suddenly stopped and scampered, she thought she was going to die there for a moment. Her white knight was the best and worst person she could've hoped for - Ash, of course - his reaction was expected.

He picked her up off the floor, and showed her around for a day. His reply to the message was loud and clear, he got right up into the faces of Yang's attackers and told them to try it again, but they didn't have the cojones. Being associated with Ash had its downsides, but it also had perks. Yang couldn't help being famous. Yang felt wrong about taking advantage of the fear she now instilled in the smaller, weaker inmates, but she took the peace offerings of extra dessert, cigarettes, and laundry tokens and allowed people to do her small favours, like lending her a pen and paper so she could write home.

Yang wrote a long, detailed letter to Ruby with personal paragraphs for both Weiss and Blake. She read her words over and over, crying as she imagined their reactions when they read it for the first time. She wrote the painful truth of how she was being treated in here, how it was inhumane, and that she was embarrassed at how the government treated its prisoners. She realised that half of what she wrote would be censored according to the warden's rules, and she judged that her entire letter was a waste of time and ink. She ripped it up and made a start on another one, but she was too angry, and tore that to pieces too. It was not private enough, and all she wanted to write was 'Weiss, I forgive you. I miss you.' She didn't want that to be read by anyone other than Weiss. The written word was powerful, Weiss could have that message and read it again and again, feel the warm fuzzies that Yang intended over and over but Yang got mad at how she wouldn't be able to say it while holding Weiss in her arms.

Hanging out with Ash also gave her a group to mingle with, so she would never have to be on her own. She made herself useful to the new group by talking down a few of their aggressors using words that she borrowed from Weiss and making them feel stupid. Ash and his friends hailed her as a hero for this, especially once she did it to a guard who was being very unfair to her. COs and inmates learned to leave her alone after that. With no immediate threats to her safety, all Yang had to focus on was the undesirable task of passing the time while being confined to the bleak premises. Fun times. Unsurprisingly, she and Ash became gym partners and she found herself spending a lot of her time with him.

The subject of them being a couple inevitably came up, and despite Yang's best efforts to avoid the question, Ash voiced the idea many different ways until he outright asked her for sex. "You'd be my girl, not saying you'd be perfectly safe, but you'd be protected. The guards are a bit nicer to couples, you know. It's not like your girlfriend would find out. Come on, what else are we gonna do in here? Jail is boring as fuck."

"Why do you always turn me on so much?" she said, as they were close enough to smell each other.

"It's you. You want me."

"I don't even know why I'm doing this, I don't even like you."

Ash's eyebrows actually went high enough that his eyes were not in shadows. "You don't have any feelings for me at all, do you?"

At first, Yang couldn't bear to look at his face. "Sorry. But I'm not sorry." It got easier when she searched her memories and thought about how he failed to light any spark within her, or warm her heart, or any other sappy love cliche. She grabbed his chin and placed a kiss on his lips. She shrugged. "Nope. Nothing."

"Never stopped you from fucking me before." He made a fairly convincing argument but the weird sexual tension between them remained unburst. Now that she knew what he thought about when he looked at her, she made a conscious effort to keep her more desirable parts out of his line of sight so it wouldn't tease him. It slightly disgusted her that she was the one that had to change, and she couldn't stop him from being a pervert. Word spread that they were an item anyway, so at least she got the benefit of this relationship without any of the commitment which was sort of a perfect arrangement for her.

Yang jerked awake in a pool of sweat. #PrisonProblems, she thought, as she estimated the amount of time it would take to dry her poor excuse of a mattress in her dank cell. Her dream was haunting and cruel, the ghosts of Ash's hands were crawling all over her. For a split second, she remembered his tongue in her mouth, and then his tongue instantly went somewhere else and she felt violated by her own imagination. She gasped in a breath, but found she had no tears to cry, or maybe she did and they were camouflaged on her face which was covered in beads of sweat. She had no idea what time it was, whether it was worth trying to fall back asleep, and the chirp of birds was no indicator of closeness to dawn. The birds always sang in Vale, mainly because the 24-hour artificial lights confused them, and those twittering, piercing songbird voices gave no fucks that it was actually 3 am.

Yang had no choice in the end, she closed her eyelids to rest them for only one second and then opened them the next morning, feeling like she had not slept at all. She missed her usual breakfast, she got a couple slices of toast with a smear of margarine on each, but she had back up snacks from the commissary and she would have to survive on those. Work was hard, she was tired, so when her shift was over, all she wanted to do was lounge around and relax. She knew she would be missed in the gym by Ash and his squad, but her still-moist bed was too enticing.

Uzo jumped up and pointed to Yang. "Quick, she's in here. Get her."

Yang bolted upright to see a couple guards piling into their already cramped cell.

"Yeah, that's right. She's the one, she's crazy. Talks in her sleep, about killing and shit." It was funny how these two grown women, who had asserted their authority and superiority over Yang from the moment they met, were reduced to acting like children when faced with the guards who were higher up the hierarchy. "She's totally dangerous. You gotta take her away to be with those other psychos."

"Take her, get rid of her, put her in C wing."

"Mr Winchester wants to see her."

Yang had been internally hopeful that she would be able to avoid this confrontation completely while she was here. Nobody wanted to get the news that they had a meeting in the Warden's office. One guard led the way, and another followed closely on her heels. They went to easily the cleanest part of the jail that Yang had seen so far. Seemed like part of a nice office building, but occupied by a firm that did not do red tape and filing all too well, box files and card wallets were stacked up against the walls, presumably in some sort of order that was logical to someone. They subjected her to the same security procedures that she had upon entering the prison, minus the cavity search, she was informed that was waiting for her when she left this place.

The man in the leather chair did not look up. "Leave her."

Looking at this balding, sweaty man, Yang temporarily forgot all the words she knew. He was the one who could make a decision and cause her life to be semi-peaceful or turn it into torture. She let the clock tick for an agonisingly long time. He finally looked up at her bemused face which had drained itself of all remaining colour, the big black bags under her eyes were the main feature that replaced her trademark smirk.

"You're a very interesting girl, do you know that? I usually don't care what crimes my inmates have committed, but I read your police report very carefully." He scoffed. "It was unsurprising to learn that you had committed such a brutish crime, close up you look like a thug. Yet the rumours about your beauty are dreadfully understated."

Yang stared down at her feet and around the hideously decorated room, looking at anything but him. "I, uhhh, thanks, I guess." Mr Winchester had awful taste in decor, it seemed like this office was still trapped in the fashion styles of a few decades ago. She remembered old pictures of her house that her dad had shown her, where the interiors were orange and brown, and this room was just like that.

"You're quite young for the charges against you, one of the youngest I've ever seen, how old are you?"

"Eighteen. Well, almost nineteen." Her birthday was a few days from now, she wasn't going to mark the day by doing anything special. Seemed like fate's way of paying her back for missing Blake's birthday all those months ago. She wasn't going to have anyone she loved nearby, she'd struck all the names from her authorised visitors list. Maybe she should call her dad on the day, he might be willing to talk to her if he was near his scroll. Silly old man still wasn't used to keeping it on him.

"You live at Beacon Academy. My son goes there, Cardin Winchester. You know him? He a friend of yours? Are you his girlfriend?"

"No, there's no way I'd be his girlfriend. He's a-" Yang covered her mouth before she said a bad word about Cardin, even though she had hundreds running through her mind at the moment.

"A what?" Mr Winchester raised an eyebrow, daring her to lie.

Yang gulped as she hardened the muscles in her face. "Your son is a wankstain. He's the one who's a thug and a bully, and I see where he gets it from. Little bastard."

Mr Winchester sneered. "Such aggression. I wish he was a bastard, just so he wouldn't be mine. He was never going to amount to much, good-for-nothing piece of shit, just like his mother. Your father must know what it feels like too, to have a child who's worthless."

"Hey! Don't talk about my father, you don't know him!"

"Doesn't he know how much of a disappointment you are? He must be blind, to not have seen it."

"He's ten times the father you are."

"At least my son isn't in prison. Although if he does end up here, I have something special waiting for him. If he doesn't die first, I might consider him worth something."

"You're a jerk, he's your son."

"Get her out of here." Mr Winchester said, refusing to look up. "C Wing ought to be a good fit for her."

Having received her marching orders, Yang was half-led, half-dragged to a new place. The signs on the walls indicated she was headed to the infamous C Wing. The corridors around there felt smaller and more compact, to match the 8 by 6 cells that she would be sharing with another person. Inmates jeered at her as she walked past, all they could smell was fresh meat. They came upon Yang's newest living quarters. Yang's eyes widened when she saw the face of her new cellmate.

"No! No, no! Not in there, not with her." Yang tried to dodge around the guards who were guiding her firmly through the doorway. She locked her arms straight and held onto the door jamb, using what little strength she had left to resist them.

Cinder stood up, highly suspicious of the drama spilling into her room. "Who the fuck is she? I had an agreement. This is supposed to be a private cell."

"No!" Yang was yelling louder.

The COs were just as terrified of Cinder as Yang was, it was only a matter of time before Cinder recognised her.

"Oh my." Cinder had a disgustingly smug look on her face. "Dear oh dear. What are you doing here? Sorry, silly question."

Yang's horror let the guards finally push her inside and lock the door behind them. C Wing inmates didn't have roaming privileges, they were in their cells at all times, except for work, meals, and one hour of recreation time, if the guards were nice enough to release them, that is. Yang tried not to see the metal toilet bowl sticking out of the wall right next to where she was supposed to sleep.

"So, Yang, why didn't you want to share a room with me?"

"Why don't you want to share a room at all?" Yang countered in the same sly tone of voice. She had learned from her initial interaction with her first set of cellmates not to be so submissive. Everyone in this place only responded to authority, or else be treated as sub-human.

"I like my privacy, so I won't hesitate to kill you if I feel like you're invading it, you worthless piece of shit."

"Oooh, scary. What are you gonna do, sass me to death?"

"Do not test me."

"Or what? I've already had the shit kicked out of me. What's the worst you can do?"

Yang probably shouldn't have goaded Cinder. The first thing she went for were Yang's eyes with her sharp pointy nails. But Cinder was a similar size to Yang except much lighter, and knowing that her aura wasn't going to help, Yang turned brutal almost instantly. Her martial arts training was still there, her fists were still resistant to the pain of punching someone in the skull. It felt good to let her rage control her, like a predator with a deep hunger. Cinder, being a Grade A bitch, pulled Yang's hair and karate chopped her in the neck. Yang thrust a knee into her crotch for revenge. Overall, their fight wasn't pretty.

The CO on duty couldn't get the door open quick enough, and she radioed for backup before taking one step inside. Yang took no notice, and kept her attention on Cinder and her quick claws. Yang took a gun butt to the back of the knee, so she dragged Cinder to the ground with her. Yang's arm was twisted behind her back. Before it managed to get cuffed, she got a few more hits in on Cinder's belly. Cinder, restrained physically by two guards, gave up. The female CO was still wrestling with Yang, and resorted to her taser gun. Once Yang could move again, already in extreme pain, she found herself attached to the wall by a wrist. She could sit on the bunk with her shoulder at a variety of odd angles, and that was pretty much it. Cinder was in the same predicament over on the other side of the cell, but it disallowed them from touching.

"Don't piss yourselves, laundry day isn't until next Friday."

Cinder sat back and groaned in annoyance. "Now look what you've done. This is why I hate sharing."

It was unbelievably uncomfortable trying to sleep with a metal cuff around her wrist. Her arm went dead in under an hour, she supposed she would just have to deal with the excruciating pins and needles when her arm woke up. Hopefully, before necrosis set in. She managed to achieve a light sleep, but woke every time the short chain clinked or the sharp metal snagged her wrist. She almost dislocated her arm when she was startled by a figure hovering above her bed.

"Weiss, what are you doing here? How did you get in?"

Weiss giggled, and put her finger over her lips, winking while she did. Without a word, she slipped into Yang's personal space, embracing her to lean her head on Yang's chest. Yang almost broke down, she had missed human contact so much more than she realised. Weiss could feel her crumbling, and stuck to her even more, smoothing down the tension that had infiltrated Yang's mind. Somehow the zip of Yang's jumpsuit came undone. Weiss put her hands inside, untucking the vest that Yang wore to get underneath to her skin.

"Oh," Yang giggled coyly. "You came for a conjugal visit, huh? Is that why you're here after dark?"

Weiss grinned, as she lowered Yang's lips to hers by pulling on the front of her clothes. The kiss got heated very quickly.

"We shouldn't be doing this." Yang said, but more because she felt obligated to acknowledge what they were doing was prohibited, not because she wanted to stop. Weiss shut her mouth for her, and locked her in place with carefree fingers curled gently in her hair. Yang moaned, she was in heaven.

"Is this a dream? 'Cos, fuck me, it's a good dream." Yang looked over to Cinder's bunk for a brief second. It was empty. Further confirming that this was not reality.

Yang grabbed hold of her hand, the tiny, soft hands that she missed so much. Another whimper, another moan as Weiss stroked her face. Her skin was subjected to the cold air, and Yang brought Weiss closer as they kissed. Weiss pushed the tank top up to Yang's neck and pulled one of her tits out. She smirked as she pushed Yang onto the bed. Weiss dived down and latched onto Yang's nipple, while her hands burrowed under Yang's shorts. Weiss was keen to skip straight to the action, she knew they had to be quick. Weiss dipped her fingertip into Yang's wetness, yanking and twisting at her jumpsuit that was covering the rest of her body. Yang exhaled loudly, she couldn't tackle the obstacle by herself, so Weiss had to help by picking the lock of the handcuffs, freeing Yang's arm. Soon, she was naked and Weiss resumed touching her, smirking, laughing.

"What's with you? You're acting really weird."

Bloodlust twinkled in Weiss' eyes. Or was it just the one eye. What? She didn't look right, she didn't smell right. And she was mute. She didn't kiss the same way, and her hands… they were so soft, too soft.

"Say something, you're kinda scaring me." Weiss blinked, and it changed her whole face. Yang crawled backwards, unfortunately, squeezing herself into a tight corner. There was nowhere else to go. Neo smirked.

Weiss checked her notifications. Why the fuck was Cardin messaging her? _Why were you at Winchester Prison?_ How did he know that, she wanted to know. She messaged back to ask, imitating his lack of pleasantries. _My dad said you visited there._ Of course, his family owned the historic prison in northern Vale and several other smaller ones located in every kingdom in the world.

Weiss deleted the text string. She didn't want to see Cardin's name on her phone, especially above Yang's name. Other than that, things were going pretty well for Weiss. She made a new PR every week in something, lifts, runs, grades, dirty thoughts. She knew what it was all along - this void, this emptiness even though the rest of her life was fairly fulfilling. There was always something missing.

She just had to find something to fill the empty space.

"Hey Jaune!"

Jaune spun around, and his eyes bulged out of their sockets when he saw Weiss approach him, not wearing much. "Oh, er, hey Weiss. You doing? I mean, how're you going? Shit, I mean, how are you?"

"I'd be better if you would follow me, Jaune."

Jaune gulped. It had just been a normal day for him, he had embarrassed himself publicly only once today, so in fact, so far it was a very good day for Jaune Ark. "Where are we going, Snow Angel?"

She turned to him in mild surprise and flashed him a smile, but he was so terrified that he choked on his spit. The nickname was an old one, and very rarely used, only ever by Jaune, but she had gotten so used to being called Wino that it had basically become her name. "Actually, I just wanted to talk to you."

"Oh, about what?"

"About us, Jaune."

"Us? We're not- I mean, we've never even been, you know, in the past so we don't-" He grimaced and sighed. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"I'm perfectly fine, Jaune. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Uh, isn't your girlfriend in prison? Aren't you thinking about her?"

"I have, but I've also been thinking about us. I'm so glad we helped you and Pyrrha, it really made me feel good to share my expertise."

Jaune froze, bewitched by her stare. "Thanks, I, uh, really don't know how to thank you. Whatever you did, you really helped."

"If you want, I could give you the low-down of how it went."

Jaune sniggered and then stopped. "But, Pyrrha said you gave her the toy."

"Yeah, and I showed her how to use it too."

Jaune gagged. "Wha- You-"

"Yes, Jaune." Weiss was nodding gleefully. "Wouldn't you like me to show you how she reacted?"

"Weiss…" Jaune narrowed his eyes. "You're crazy. I love Pyrrha, and I'm not gonna upset her again. This would definitely upset her. And Yang too, what would she think if she knew?"

"They don't have to know, it'll be our little secret. I did you a favour, think of it as a way to pay me back."

"No, Weiss. Grow up, I thought you were mature." He left her behind, reeling at his answer.

"Ugh, what a waste of my fucking time!" Weiss growled to his back. She squeezed her fist tight, there was only so much more forced celibacy she could take, only so many more times she could fuck herself, and she was growing bored of that. Sex wasn't hard to find as a multi-millionaire heiress, being a celebrity and having oodles of money was nice sometimes. But she couldn't even convince Jaune to sleep with her, when in the past, she knew he would've given his left testicle just to go on a date with her. What gives?

She had even wanked to the video of herself and Yang, more than once. The idea it gave her was quickly dismissed, but it was looking more and more like her only hope. Weiss screwed up her face, she was so disgusted with herself for resorting to this. She messaged Cardin to find out what he was doing later, she left it very casual so that she could rescue herself from embarrassment if anything went awry.

 _You wanna fuck me, don't you?_ When she confirmed, he sent her three excited messages in reply and a picture of his erect penis. She told him to calm down, but gave him details of when and where to meet her for sex.

 _Send me a nude so I know you're not chatting shit._

The idea of it slightly sickened her, but she snapped the headless photo anyway. She felt silly for being so shy, he had probably masturbated to the memory of her and Yang hundreds of times already. She refused to remove her knickers, but she manipulated her nips so they stood erect for the photo.

 _Want some of this?_ she captioned and sent it to Cardin.

He sent back the wide-eyed shocked emoji and also the love heart one. _Rooftop, 10 minutes,_ was the accompanying message. They didn't have very much to say face-to-face.

"Is this a trick?" Cardin said as he peered over her head, and glanced around suspiciously.

"No."

"You actually want to have sex with me?"

"I want to get laid, not by you in particular, I'm just very, very horny."

"Close enough. I've been waiting for you to finally come around. I always knew it would be you." He put his arm around her shoulder.

Weiss held her angry, bitchy tone behind clenched teeth. "Don't think of this as anything but sex."

Cardin scoffed. "You want me."

There was no doubt about it, she definitely fucked him and not the other way around. She seized her opportunity to screw his brains out, taking control at every turn.

"Wow. Fucking wow." he said afterwards. She didn't return the compliment, but she thought it. He had satisfactorily licked her pussy for a good half an hour, after learning how do it correctly at her violent insistence. The top of his head where she had twisted his hair around her slender fingers was sore as fuck, he was sure he had lost a few hundred strands to her crazed, frenzied yanks. A small price to pay for access to the Ice Queen's cunt.

He wanted to cum the moment he sunk his cock deep inside her. Her cunt was so fucking hot and wet, and clamped down around his cock so readily, that he only managed to survive a few thrusts. Weiss spent a few minutes licking his flagging boner, resurrecting it so he could fuck her roughly enough to satisfy her. He did calculus in his head to avoid blowing it too early this time and he gave her almost an hour of his best, making her toes curl at least twice.

The next time they met up, they spoke even less. He was keen to get her on her back and put his head between her legs again. He was enthralled with making her sing. It was only the rest of Team CDNL that could hear them, and Cardin wanted them to be jealous so he greedily encouraged all her little erotic noises and gasps and moans as he parted her cunt lips with his mouth and pushed his tongue in.

"Fuck my little pussy with your tongue, lick me, eat me, right there, harder." she ordered, over and over. He moaned into her soaked slit, gliding his tongue repeatedly over her clit. He was so enthusiastic that sometimes he forgot to breathe, and slowly smothered himself with her juicy cunt. What a wonderful way to die, he reasoned, whenever white spots popped in his vision. When he couldn't take it anymore, he raised up to suck in a huge breath and suck and kiss her clit, then she begged him to make her cum. Her thighs were so strong now from all the squats, if she wanted to, she could keep him there for hours. But the moment her orgasm rocked her body, her muscles locked against her will, and for a second, Weiss looked down at her shredded abs. Bliss whited out her vision so she could see no more as the aftershocks coursed through her and she screamed as it took over. Extremely proud of himself, Cardin moistened his left pointer finger in her pussy, and traced the wrinkled edges of her asshole. He knew she felt it, her sphincter closed and then gaped open for him. So he stuck his finger in.

Weiss definitely felt that and yelled out, "Ow! What the fuck, wrong hole!"

"No, it's the one I meant, Ice Queen." He curled the finger in her ass, and licked her pussy a little harder. Weiss couldn't lie, she didn't hate it. His tongue went exploring further down, past her perineum, and followed the trail his finger had just made. He was welcomed in by Weiss putting her thigh over his shoulder, spreading her buttcheeks open.

"This stays between us."

"Relax, I've seen you and your bitch do much worse."

So she and Yang had engaged in butt stuff. It annoyed her that Cardin had all the details and she was left with a big, blank space where her memories should be, and morbid curiosity about what had happened. She would never ask Cardin for the truth directly though, so it was unlikely that she would ever find out unless he volunteered the information.

Weiss' slit dripped, the juices trickled down to her crack, where Cardin's tongue spread it all around. Weiss shuddered as the tip of his tongue poked its way into her back passage. She only had one brief thought about how unhygienic this was, but his tongue probing her ass was so erotic that the thought was quickly shoved to the back of her mind. He pushed in his thumb to keep the gap open, and lashed her pussy with long, forceful strokes of his tongue. Her grip on his hair tightened so hard that he considered becoming a skinhead. He let out a throaty growl, pushing his finger into her, opening her up for the juices to seep inside where he needed them.

"I'm gonna cum again. Fuck!" She moaned.

"Go on then, cum for me, you trashy fuckbitch. Cum with my fingers in your big, juicy butt." He slid his middle finger in too, wiggling them about, pressing his thumb on her taint, and buried his tongue in her cunthole. Her whole body spasmed the deeper his fingers went. She let the orgasm build until it was uncontrollable, and she pushed him off so she could ride it out, moaning and shaking all the while. He well and truly made a meal out of her.

"Fuck me with your dick, I need your hard cock inside me." She reached out and grabbed it, breathing hard as she pumped him with her hands.

He licked his sticky lips. "Where do you want it?"

She put her other leg over his shoulder and crunched her abs so both her entrances were angled up for him. Her presentation made it more than clear where she wanted it so Cardin used his body weight to stretch her legs almost behind her ears. Weiss' wet asshole puckered around the head of his cock as he entered her, and she writhed in pain and bit down on her shrieks only partially successfully as he pushed past her second barrier. It was so much tighter than any cunt he had ever fucked, he had to bite his lip to prevent himself from squealing. He panted and groaned, cock now deep in her ass, wiggling his hips to find the sweet spot. Calculus was not going to work this time, he thought ruefully, as he looked down at the stem of his dick poking out of her fine ass and her pink hot pussy pulsing and glistening above it.

He knew he was good to go when they both gasped heavily and moaned in sync. He watched, biting his lip, as her eyes rolled back in ecstasy. Weiss prepared herself to tell him to back off, but the moment never came. She had expected it to be extraordinarily painful, and while it should have been in a way, it was worth it without question, especially at a good angle. It felt fucking amazing most of the time, if Weiss was honest. Bizarrely, her bottom jaw tingled as he disturbed the complex network of nerves in her digestive system. Another thing that made the experience so different and experimental.

He kissed her clumsily, missing her mouth by about an inch, but it successfully took his attention away from his dick ploughing her ass. With every squelchy thrust, he pressed his pubic bone into her pussy, rubbing against her clit, stimulating her enough to cum yet again. They fucked twice more, once in her pussy and once in her ass, both from behind, his sweaty hands gripped on her long hair, pulling with wild abandon.

When he was fully spent, they slumped in exhaustion and fell asleep naked on top of their blanket on the roof. They naturally drew closer to each other in the chilly evening air, but Cardin woke up shivering and alone in the early hours of the morning, and had to knock on his dorm window to be let in by one of his sleepy, grumpy teammates. He had no idea what time it was, or how long since Weiss left him on his own and shut the fire exit behind her.

Yang woke up in a coffin shaped like her body. She couldn't move, not even her toes or fingers. Controlling her eyelids very carefully, she opened them a fraction at a time. All she could see was dark, completely black. There was nothing wrong with her eyes, her brain just had to reboot them and light poured in, filling her vision. The light travelled way too fast to all corners of her mind and she could not handle the sensory overload, so she shut her eyes and opened her ears instead.

"Brain damage?"

"Most likely. Seems like she was strangled. Barely survived."

"How though? No one went into her cell, no one saw anything. CCTV is being checked, but the guard on duty said nothing happened. He blinked and then she was bloody on the floor."

"That's not a good sign, for us or for her."

"The other question is, who could have done this? She was in C Wing, no one gets in or out during lockdown, but she was alone in her cell."

"We'll see what she has to say when she wakes up."

"If she wakes up."

"Her prospects are not looking good. Pulse is weak, mild dyspnea."

"We haven't had a death for a while. This one will probably be feeding through a tube for the rest of her days, it would be a mercy to let her go. No one would check whether the cadaver has one or two kidneys. Or none."

"That's morbid of you."

"If she has a rare blood type, then the organs could be worth double on the black market."

Yang, who had been semi-conscious and experiencing everything through a dream filter, thought it would be best if she made her feelings known about being reduced to a prison mortality statistic. They gave her an oxygen mask, and shined horrible light into her eyes, but they seemed to think that her chances were improved.

The proceeding medical examination was akin to torture. Yang would never get the taste of blood or metal out of her mouth. She must have looked like she ate a recently dead piece of raw meat, having ripped it from the bones with her bare teeth. She did not need a doctor to tell her that there were lesions striping the inside of her vagina. The last thing she wanted right now was a medical examination, even though would probably save her life. She would prefer death, to be frank. She wanted to forget, she wished for a bleach solution to soak her brain and wipe it clean. Because all she could see when she closed her eyes was Neo's insulting smile.

Yang slept for days in the medical wing, she couldn't eat, she could barely swallow water. Being awake was agony. Most of her body was completely destroyed, Neo had certainly done a number on her. The worst damage was to her neck. Knives twisted down her throat at each ragged breath. A few ribs may have been fractured or severely bruised, judging from the agonisingly crushed feeling of her chest. They tried to get her to talk, to check that she wasn't faking in order to stay in the relatively comfortable medical centre, but two doctors confirmed that she was fucked up, still unstable. She lost a ton of weight in the two weeks she ended up spending there, her ass halved in size from how she was spending all her time laying on it. Unfortunately, her medical treatment drew to a close when the bed was needed by somebody else because they had been stabbed in the eye with a shard of glass.

Unable to walk, Yang was dragged out of her hospital bed by two burly guards. Yang stifled cries as her body was mishandled in its fragile state. They dumped her back in her C Wing cell, mentioned something about pain medication from the pharmacy and left. Yang didn't have the brainpower to compute that she might not survive without the tubes that were removed from her, the ones that fed her water and air. But, stubbornly and against all logic, she kept living.

Like her belly, Yang's mind was empty. This rendered her mouth non-functional. She couldn't rest against the wall next to her cot, her back was a tartan pattern of scars and gouge marks. Her lilac eyes were vacant, she was completely blind to Cinder's presence.

"Did you have a nice stay in your private cell? Did they take good care of you? Because I wouldn't want you to be upset, even though we're not friends." Yang said nothing. "We don't have to be enemies, Yang. I wouldn't want that. I'm nice, well, I can be. It'd be nice for both of us, if we learned to get along."

Yang's glazed eyes flicked towards Cinder. She swallowed, and cringed as her throat burned.

"No." she rasped.

"Such a shame. We could be great friends. I, and don't tell anyone that I'm being kind, but I can make sure that you're not attacked again. I'd only do that for friend, though."

Yang blinked. Cinder and her devious smile came somewhat into focus. Yang didn't have the energy to argue, and fighting with Cinder was definitely not a good idea.

"What happened to your other friends?" Talking kept her brain active. If she was trapped amongst the living, she was going to take it one second at a time. She did her best to listen, so she could respond coherently.

"What friends?" Cinder scoffed. "They weren't anything to me."

"Still, though. Do you know what happened to them?" In truth, she didn't think Emerald was actually that bad. She seemed cool enough when Yang spoke to her. Mercury, on the other hand, she hated his guts, she couldn't care less whether he lived or died.

"Emerald's on the run. I don't know where she is. She's good at hiding. She'd be stupid enough to come and find me anyway, probably end up dead."

"What about Mercury?"

"He's dead. He got himself killed as we were trying to escape. He told me to run, and then he turned to face them. Had a bad case of lead poisoning. He couldn't be recognised so they had to identify him with dental records."

Yang had to dig her nails into her palms so she didn't smile at the news. "Sorry."

"Don't be. I didn't lose anything by his death, although he had the confidence to make me think otherwise. He wasn't as smart as he led me to believe, he was a moronic, self-sacrificing fool."

"But didn't he give himself up so you wouldn't get caught?"

"And it worked so well. Here I am, free as a bird."

"How did you get caught? Nobody believed me about the hallucinations. Team CVFY weren't convinced, even though Coco said she saw something that wasn't there. I know you set that up."

"We had everything in place. We almost pulled it off. But once the virus was in the system, we didn't have control over it. It got into the scroll of that General Ironwood. Turns out the Atlesian Army have military-grade anti-virus and hacker alerts. We weren't careful enough, and they easily traced the source back to us."

"Serves you right. You deserved to get caught. You would've caused mass panic, hundreds could've died when the Grimm invaded. That was your goal, to kill innocent people."

"Nobody in this world is innocent. We all have fatal flaws and darkness in our hearts. Like you. People say you killed a man with your bare hands."

A little bit of life flickered behind Yang's eyes. "Actually, I had gloves on." Yang couldn't actually recall whether she did or not, but it ruffled Cinder's feathers. "He was far from innocent himself."

"So you despatched your own brand of justice. That's not so different to what I did."

"That's totally different. Don't try to make me like you. I'm nothing like you, I have friends to start with."

"Like that Schnee girl. Don't look so surprised, word travels quickly in a place like this. She was your doubles partner during the tournament." Cinder sniggered. "We gave you an easy match up, we thought you'd win easily, not barely scrape a victory. Schnee was the weak link. She let your team down, she let you down."

"Get her name out of your mouth."

"Sensitive about the subject, I see. Would be a real shame if someone were to hurt her while you were in here, completely helpless to save her. I sense you're the type to want to run to a pretty girl's defense. Maybe I should call one of my 'friends'."

Yang tried her hardest not to react. Her back teeth almost shattered with how hard she was grinding them. She wished she hadn't acted like such a bitch the last time she saw Weiss.

"Would it kill you if she started to forget about you? She hasn't been back to visit you, not since that day. Seems like you've been left here to rot. Where are your precious friends now?"

Yang felt nauseous. "I'm sure she's doing everything she can."

Cinder laughed, it made the acid climb up Yang's throat. "She's doing nothing. You have nothing, no power, no friends, no hope. You might as well just kill yourself."

Thank fuck for the alarm bell that indicated it was time for C Wing prisoners to make their way to the cafeteria, because Yang had no reasonable response to that, except thinking about whether she knew how to tie a noose. Cinder sauntered out easily, but Yang was only able to pull herself up and cling to the walls, escaping her cell in time before the magnetic locks engaged again. The rush to the dinner hall was a lot more hectic and confused Yang. She dropped to the ground and puked. Her face landed in it, but she didn't have the strength to get up and unaware, uncaring boots trod on her as they stepped over her.

"Yang? Yang? What happened to you?" Ash shook her chest, but she didn't wake up. "Come on, get up. Don't you dare die on me." Ash scooped her up and carried her to his cell. There was a small rip in the seam of his pillow that he could get his fingers through, out of which he plucked a small white feather. He grabbed a stick of gum from his pocket and knocked out the batteries from a torch on the shelf by his bed. Popping the gum in his mouth, he ripped the foil paper into two long strips, and connected the positive and negative ends of the battery. The fibre of the paper smoked and sparked and then he had a very brief small flame with which to burn the feather, wafting the strong smell into Yang's nose.

She jolted upright, sucking in deep lungfuls of air.

"Holy shit, are you ok?"

"Not really."

"You shouldn't be walking. How did you get fucked up so bad?" Yang could only shrug. "Listen, I can talk to a friend of mine on the outside. See if I can rustle up some oxandrolone for your injuries."

"Steroids? No way, I'm not messing with that shit."

"So what if you won't be natty, you can't spend a day in this place in your state. You need to heal, get back on your feet. Once you're all better, then stop taking it."

"Does it have side effects?" she asked, out of curiosity more than anything else.

"Very few for women. It's an oral so it's pretty tough on your liver, but Anavar is relatively mild in comparison to other steroids. Especially at the dose you'll be taking. Here, eat this." He handed her a protein bar, cookies and cream flavour. It was the best thing she had ever tasted. "Who did this to you?" Yang shook her head while she ate the sweet, chewy protein bar. "Don't protect anyone in here. They won't protect you, even if they say they will."

Yang swallowed. "Would you believe me if I told you it wasn't one of the inmates?"

"One of the guards? Which one? I'll have their house ransacked."

"No, it wasn't a guard either."

"Who then?"

"I think Cinder contacted someone on the outside."

"Cinder." Ash pinched his cleft chin thoughtfully. "Did you say something to her?"

"She's my new roommate."

"Oh shit. Prison rule 101, do not piss off the alpha bitch." Figures she would be the Queen of Clink Street. "How bad is it?" Yang blinked impatiently and gestured to her beaten and broken body. "Oh yeah, sorry."

"How do you know her?"

"Everyone knows her. The crazy eco-terrorist with way too much power that she stole straight from government hands, a few people think she bought it off them. You'd be insane not to be scared of her."

"Was she here before you?"

"Yeah, she was running the show before I got here. There were a few big guys, but two got released, and the other one run his mouth so I had to teach him a lesson, and now it's just me. Look, I know Cinder is a psycho bitch, and don't ever get comfortable with her." He made a noise of disgust. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think it's better if you were friends with Cinder. But watch your back, always, especially with her."

"That's advice I probably could've used about two days ago."

"Already made enemies with her, huh? Do you have any friends who could help?"

"I think you're my only friend in here."

"Ok, so let me help you. I can get you some stronger stuff to help with the pain and help you sleep. Don't engage with Cinder, whatever she's doing to get to you, it's clearly working. One more fight with her could be your last."

"I think I'll finally have to learn to control my temper."

"Good idea."

Yang missed work that week, but Ash made good on his promises and she was back on her feet sooner than she had thought possible. Without aura, she was not expecting to recover so quickly, but the human body is an amazing piece of machinery. She treated it well, and it rewarded her in return. She would say she was back to her old self again, but that basically changed every week at moment.

Yang had almost forgotten that she was currently being charged with third degree murder, everything else had eclipsed that fact until she received a letter from her slow and frankly incompetent lawyers, summoning her for a meeting and trial prep. In an untidy conference room, near the administration block of Winchester Prison, Yang cracked her knuckles. "So when is my trial?" she asked the wash-and-wear suited lawyer.

"Not for at least six months. There's not much we can do, I'm afraid your prospects are looking rather bleak, Miss Xiao Long."

Yang begged to differ. She'd taken the steroids Ash acquired for her, and doubled the dose recommended by him. She wanted to be better, and fast. It succeeded almost too well. Her fat stores had shrunk noticeably in just two weeks. The little pudge that remained was water retention. She was primed for growth, the only thing letting her down was the poor quality food she had to consume, but she shovelled it in her mouth by the truckload, always on the lookout for more, eating purely for the calorific and nutritional value, rather than taste.

She was killing it in the gym, and stronger than ever. The steroids, though they were weak compared to what Ash was taking, worked a treat for a female. Once she was on them (one in the morning and one at night), and could feel them working, she knew she had been lifted to a level above the norm. Those pills were like the cocaine of the fitness world, the big leagues all used them, everybody was at it. They made her have self-indulgent delusions that she was an all-powerful superhero, frequently saving others from disaster. She was confident enough that she would take on Uzo in a fight, although the large Faunus woman was not as hostile as she had been previously. Ash was so impressed by her, that he backed away slowly from her ferocity, after she pulled a record-breaking deadlift, screaming with the effort. Pretty soon, this news travelled far and wide around the prison, there was a new contender for the crown that was slowly but surely slipping out of Cinder's grip. Her life on the outside wasn't as important as it once was.

Yang didn't believe that the lawyer was going to put his best work into her case, but she cared less than when she walked into that office. She went back to work, tilling and moving soil at double speed to make up for the time she spent in the comfortable office. She much preferred being out here, doing physical work. She sucked the peanut butter out of today's single serving packet, for energy. Breakfast had improved dramatically once she got a bit friendly with the kitchen staff, they put spread on the whole slice of toast for her now. Those Faunus were much nicer than Uzo had been, although Uzo and Olivia were remorseful about talking shit about Yang. They offered her favours occasionally to stay on her good side.

Yang kept her new friends sweet with punctual deliveries of the produce from the vegetable patch, and the wild fruit that grew on the grounds. Yang sneaked the bruised apples and pears to the kitchen, one-by-one, in her pockets so the chefs playing the long game could ferment them into vile-tasting but extremely effective alcohol. In return, she got an extra scoop of whatever lunch and dinner was being served. She had no tape measure to confirm, but she was almost positive that she had lost inches around her waist, and put the mass on her arms and legs instead. This served to make her look even more intimidating, and her power had re-grown and evolved into something else.

Her best weapon was the enigma surrounding her. She knew Ash from the outside, and he respected her, so others did too, out of fear of Ash. Weiss Schnee came to visit her, which she did get attacked for, but afterwards worked in her favour because many inmates erroneously thought that the Schnees owned the prison. Cinder, the previous prison Queen Bee, also seemed to know her and didn't challenge her, the way many thought she would. They appeared to get along, even if Yang and Cinder were simply trying not to disrespect themselves while in public. Yang found her black hair had become her shield from the atrocity of her daily life. She no longer looked warm and inviting, she no longer looked like the soft Yang that walked through the gates. The old Yang was gone, she was weak anyway. The new Yang got shit done, and could block out the bad shit.

Weiss hummed to herself on the way down to breakfast. She was smiling again, and her friends were so happy that her mood had improved that they never stopped to question it. The social interactions of the group were still undercut by the lack of Yang, but having grown used to it, they trundled along in life quite pleasantly. Breakfast was hot and hearty, and warmed Weiss from within. It gave her all the nutrients she needed, and set up her body and brain to take on the day, fully energised. Her thoughts weren't on anything but her food, until her plate was fully clean. She joined the conversation while she sipped on her steaming hot black coffee.

"What are you all gossiping about?"

"Trying to work out who the mystery couple are who keep having sex on the roof and leaving used condoms behind." Ruby said, blushing.

Fuck! Cardin was supposed to take care of that. Weiss tried to act surprised, "Gosh, sex on the roof. Whew. That's really wild, yeah?" Weiss had to work to contain her laughter as Pyrrha looked as if she was about burst.

"I think it's a gay couple." Nora said.

"Why?"

"Firstly, because there's so many. Two schlongs need more protection than one, and secondly, because those condoms are fucking huge and everyone knows that gay guys have big dicks."

"Gay guys don't all have big dicks."

"Yes, they do."

"Who do you know that's gay and has a big dick?"

Nora gave Weiss an incredulous look and pointed to her partner with both arms. "Ren."

Ren pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "For the last time, I'm not gay. And before you ask, I'm not the one having sex. On the roof." He failed to deny the fact that he had a big cock.

"So who is?" Ruby eyed up each of her friends in turn, staring them out in case their guilt gave the game away. "Well I know it's not you, Weiss, because you're waiting on Yang to get her butt out of prison. I don't blame you for feeling cooped up in the dorm, everything in there reminds you of her." Finally, some logic.

"And why exactly would we need a condom anyway?"

"That's an excellent point. Blake's been rather scarce lately, do you think she could be the one?"

"Yeah, but who with? Sun only visits every other weekend." Everyone swivelled their eyes towards the table where Blake ate breakfast with her little goth crew.

"It can't be her, she was in the dorm last night and there was definitely a huge wet patch on the blanket up there this morning."

"What were you doing on the roof this morning, Pyrrha?"

"Um," Pyrrha panicked. "I like the view."

"Oooh, sort of gave yourself away there, Pyrrha. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink." Nora said, giving the champion a tickle under the arms. Pyrrha realised how badly she had fucked up and facepalmed. Weiss smiled along with her friends, but in relief that the blame now fell on Pyrrha, rather than their excitement of uncovering a clue about their little mystery.

"Jaune and I talk on the roof sometimes, but we only talk and find poorly disposed of rubbers."

"Well, when you butt dialled me that time, you guys were 'talking' pretty loudly." Nora winked.

Ruby elbowed the champion teasingly, as a loud taunting 'ooooooh' came from their table. "So, Pyrrha, you finally found out that Jaune has a big dick, I bet no one expected that. How does it feel?"

Weiss nearly dropped her mug and choked on her current mouthful. To hear Ruby say those words sounded so fucking wrong. Ruby had a very cute grin on her face too, but Weiss retched when she figured that it must be because she finally found someone with which to discuss sex with Jaune.

"Well, obviously I have nothing to compare it to." Other than her own fingers, Weiss nearly snorted with laughter but he kept it reined in.

"Does he take his time with you or does he just stick his dick in and hope for the best?" Weiss said, before Ruby could say something even more disgusting.

Pyrrha hid her red face behind her palms. "He's a very gentlemanly lover." Ruby nodded in agreement.

"So he's boring then." Weiss said, suddenly glad she had dodged that bullet.

"I wouldn't say boring, we always have fun."

Weiss wondered whether he had made her cum yet, and if she knew how fun sex could really be. Weiss could only guess what their sex life must be like, she would never get a straight answer if she asked Pyrrha whether they had tried any other position except for missionary. At least Jaune had been less of a pain in the ass since he was finally getting some poontang. That reminded her.

 _Where the fuck have you been,_ Weiss demanded via text.

 _Busy. It may surprise you to know that I actually have work to do._ Cardin read the message two hours before he replied, to prove how 'busy' he was.

 _Fuck that, do me instead._ She accompanied her request with a mirror selfie of her naked butt.

Weiss was fuming when she was left unanswered for another hour. She followed him out of a lecture, watched him get rid of his friends, and duck into the library. Weiss narrowed her eyes. Maybe he did actually have work to do. She spied on him, hunched over a desk, with a hand shielding his eyes. It was odd, he wasn't trying to hide, more like he put blinkers on himself so he was forced to concentrate on his page. He sniffled.

"Cardin, are you crying?"

"No, fuck off." He wasn't weeping, not yet. His nose was running though, so he wiped it with his sleeve.

"Are you having trouble?" His handwriting was awful, worse than Yang's, Weiss couldn't even guess the subject of his essay.

"Go away, leave me alone!" Weiss' hand had yet to make contact with his shoulder but it immediately retracted, like she had been burned. Weiss looked closely at his work, his lettering was all over the place and he mismatched upper and lower case. It was similar to a child's writing. The words she did recognise were spelled incorrectly, mostly confusion with the order of the letters, like he knew which ones to use but muddled them up.

"Cardin, are you dyslexic?"

He flinched. "Don't fucking use that word, I'm not dumb."

"I never said you were."

"Essays just stress me out, ok?!"

"If you like I could-"

"I don't want your help, bitch. I thought you didn't want to associate with me outside of banging on the roof."

"Will you keep your fucking voice down?" She leant in close to whisper in his ear. "That's absolutely ridiculous, Cardin, and I'm not that much of a bitch. You're still my classmate. Wouldn't it be easier to do your essay on a computer?"

He rubbed out the word he was in the middle of writing, and made another attempt at the word 'succinct', he was positive that he had missed something out. "Oobleck says I hand wrote all my other essays, so he wants this one to be handwritten too. So he has proof I wrote it. Really it was Jaune who did the others. I think he knew all along."

"Ah." Whatever sympathy she did have for him disappeared. Still, she felt compelled to help him, hoping that the same sense of pride would be as achievable with him as it was when Yang finally passed a test with flying colours. "Well, at least you're good with numbers. Much better than I am."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I think you're the best at mental arithmetic in the whole of Beacon."

Goodwitch had once tried to school them on situational awareness, by flashing a series of ten three-digit numbers on single frames of a bright and quick-moving video. No one had any answers for her except pure guesses, even those that had the sense to try and write down the numbers, until Cardin called out, "6,492. How did the rest of you not get that?" He laughed derisively and high-fived his team. Goodwitch temporarily lost the power of speech, staring at him in amazement of his savant display for a full minute. She hadn't expected anyone to be able to do it, let alone Cardin.

"I always had a way with math, I learned early on this abacus I had as a kid. It's just stupid words that confuse me." He threw his pencil down angrily.

"Hey, calm down." She cautiously lay a gentle hand on him. "How about when you're done, you show me what you've got and I won't change anything, I swear, I'll just tell you whether it's ok to hand in."

"The deadline is tomorrow." He sounded so childlike, as if he knew he had no hope.

Weiss leant in close after checking they were alone. "So bring it up to the roof with you." she whispered and stroked his cheek. "It's been two days since I've seen you. You've let me get frustrated. Mmmm, I've missed you." She kissed the tip of his ear, pressing her soft tongue inside it as she slid her hand down his chest. She brushed over the bulge of his semi just as quickly as she straightened up and stepped back.

His eyes flicked between his paper and her. "Can we go now?"

"Finish your essay and I'll meet you upstairs."

His eyes watered as a grateful smile adorned his lips. When he let go of his permanent screw face, he was actually pretty handsome. Weiss pinched herself to make sure she wasn't having a nightmare. She wasn't falling for him, never in a million years; her heart truly belonged to Yang, but she viewed Cardin with endearment now, rather than just disdain. He had his struggles, like all the rest of them, although he was an idiot for lashing out and bullying others instead of asking for help.

He was dutifully waiting for her, with his paper in his hands, although she had to ask to see it twice before he showed her. Surprisingly, there were no huge errors, just poor spelling and grammar. His ideas weren't very clear, but they weren't wholly incorrect either. If Weiss was generous, she'd give it a C, but she wanted his D so she said that at the very least he should get a B. Either way it was not another fail. He stuffed the folded up paper into his pocket and lifted her into his arms with a big, broad grin. She clung to him, and stroked his hair as they kissed, full of passion like a newly-formed couple. They fucked gently and sweetly on the blanket as light rain began to fall on their sweaty bodies.

They pulled on their clothes, and hurried inside from the rain. As soon as they pulled the fire door shut, the first bolt of lightning lit up the sky, and thunder shook the whole building. They gave each other a small look of triumph before giggling mischievously at how their marvellous timing allowed them to dodge the storm. This easily led to kissing, but they were still mainly laughing. Weiss had to stay on her tiptoes because he was so tall, he ended up holding most of her weight.

"Can we talk?"

"Sure. What do you want to talk about?"

"Not here, let's go somewhere more cosy."

Weiss figured that he would lead them downstairs to his room. "Get out," he barked. Dove and Sky legged it out of the room as fast as they could, before Cardin led Weiss inside. She didn't look at Dove or Sky as they came past, keeping her eyes on the floor, so she wouldn't know if they were judgemental at all. They sat on his double bed, bigger than all the other beds and dominating the whole room. Large, expensive toys and collectible sports memorabilia cluttered the shelves and wall that he had claimed as his, he had a laptop and a tablet scroll on his bedside table, and another tablet at the foot of the bed. She saw that it had been paused on a gory video game.

"So any particular topic on your mind, Cardin?"

"What? Oh, so how long will Yang be in prison?"

Weiss sighed and stared out the window. "I honestly don't know. Could be a couple of months, could be a lot longer than that."

"We can chill until she's out though, right?"

"As long as I don't get bored of you."

"You won't." When he leaned over to kiss her, their damp clothes stuck to their skin, so they stripped themselves and got into bed. It was much more cosy under the duvet, Weiss was fluffing the pillows when Cardin hugged her from behind, pulling her small frame close. Weiss relaxed into the comfort of the bed, and leant back on his wide, hard chest. It felt so lovely, she knew she would be able to get the good night's sleep she had been craving for weeks in Cardin's bed. She bathed in the luxury of his high-quality sheets, and although she loathed herself to admit it, being held by such a strong man was very comforting.

He nuzzled the nape of her neck, kissing her lightly just below her ear. She was so soft and delicate, a wonderful tiny package of delight, he loved to hold her. Her hair smelled delicious, and he knew from experience that she was delicious too. Before he knew it, he had allowed the wish of Weiss being his girlfriend to poison his mind. He stroked the silky skin on her arm and then over her abs, not intended to lead to anything, he just liked to touch her in general. "Comfy?"

"Very."

"If you like it here, you should stay. I'll get rid of the guys for the night."

"I should be getting back soon. I'll be missed if I'm not in my bed by the morning."

"Wait, wait." He pulled her hips flush against his, trapping his semi-hard dick in between her asscheeks. He knew she wasn't going anywhere when she wiggled her butt on him, teasing his boner. "Oh, fuck. You're so hot."

"Cardin," she said, turning over to face him. "Did you find me attractive when you first met me?"

"Hell yeah, it was funny watching Jaune try to get into your pants, when you're clearly way out of his league."

"Is it because my family is rich and he is not?"

"No, it's because he's a snivelling dickweed. You're too good for him, he doesn't deserve you."

Weiss scoffed. "That's funny, because you know that girl who's like six foot tall and can totally kick your ass into next week? You know the one, Pyrrha Nikos. Yeah, that's who he's dating now. They've been together almost six months."

"She's an arrogant bitch anyway. I bet I know who wears the pants in that relationship."

Weiss rolled her eyes. Cardin loved finding reasons to hate Pyrrha, it was better for his ego than to simply admit that she was, and always will be, a thousand times more successful than he was. It bored her listening to him go on and on about her, so she tried changing the subject. "You're quite well-off." she said, nodding to the gadgets on his bedside table.

"Not as rich as you, but, yeah, my dad did well for himself."

"What's your dad like, I know he owns the prison Yang is trapped in. He must be different at home, though."

"Uhh, not as much as you'd expect."

"My father likes to bring his work home with him too. Is he a good father?"

"Ha. You're kidding, right? My dad hates me."

"He hates you? But he's your father."

"My dad is a psychopathic asshole, he thinks I'm dirt. He never wanted me, even tried to get rid of me. He said my mom tricked him into marrying her, then by the time he found out she was pregnant, it was too late. She's dead now, so he told me that I have to get a job and move out the moment school is over."

"Wow, I'm sorry."

His forehead creased briefly, but his usual smirk returned. "Nothing to be sorry about, Schnee." She wasn't fazed by his cocky bravado. He shrugged casually. "It is the way it is. Coming here was like an escape, you probably don't know what it's like to live in a place where you're constantly attacked, pampered little princess like you."

"You've seen my father, right? You must've heard of him."

"Yeah, I've seen him on TV."

"Then you don't know him at all. You know what our publicist wants you to know. He's much more of a vindictive control freak in real life. I'd say he hates my guts, but it's worse than that. He does what he does because he thinks it's best for me."

"So you ran away to Beacon to become a Huntress, eh? I bet he hated that."

"I didn't run away to hide here. I purposefully disobeyed him, slammed the door in his face and marched out of there, never intending to go back."

"I could've sworn I saw you at the airport for spring break, didn't you go home to Atlas?"

"Well, obviously, I went back. I didn't really think it through until I had left. I talked to my sister, and she found out, through great expense to me, that I was still welcome in the house. Walking back in there was probably the most humiliating thing I've ever done in my life. At least the staff were nice to me."

"You have servants in your house?"

Weiss sighed, like she had many times when she discussed the privileges of her wealth. "Yeah, I'm not supposed to say this in public, but all the staff are Faunus. As you can imagine, the White Fang were not happy about that once it got leaked. The Faunus are not all bad, you know, the ones that work in my household are all really lovely people."

"Just wait, they'll join up with the White Fang before you know it. Fucking assholes. The lot of them."

"Why do you hate the Faunus so much?"

"Because they're criminals. For every human in jail, there are double, almost triple the number of Faunus. They're a plague to our kingdom if you ask me. Why do you hate them?"

"I don't. Well, not anymore. I used to, but then I learned better."

"My father has brought a lot of Faunus to justice, all of them deserved it."

The things that Blake liked to post on Scrollmates about equality and Faunus rights entered her mind, the provocative, hard-hitting headlines flashed through her memory. "But they've never actually done anything to you personally, have they?"

"They don't have to. I know they're scum already. Filthy animals."

Weiss slapped his chest. "They're not animals, they're people."

Cardin laughed. "Come on, really? Everyone knows The White Fang have it in for the Schnees. You're just gonna forgive everything they've done to your family? They tried to assassinate your father. More than once." It was something that he'd vaguely heard about on the news, he didn't think he would ever end up discussing it with an actual Schnee.

"No, of course not. But I realise that it's not every Faunus that goes around blowing up factories and robbing warehouses. There are human criminals who are much worse. The White Fang used to have a cause worth fighting for, but their message got lost amongst the news reports of Dust explosions, all the coverage was biased against the Faunus, obviowusly. Almost all the major media outlets are owned and controlled by humans who grew up in a time where equality was unheard of, and therefore not the greatest fans of progressive change."

"Sounds like you're making excuses for them."

"No, I'm right. The way the Faunus have been treated is awful, by you and your father, and by me and my father too. But there's no law saying that our generation has to continue fuelling the hatred." If only Blake could hear her, she would be so proud.

"It's just easier to hate them because they cause problems. Areas with high numbers of Faunus are always shitholes and crime hotspots."

"They don't cause problems, it's not their fault. It's us. We're the problem, us humans who think they're beneath us. If we just let them live peacefully, in equality with us, they wouldn't need to go to such extreme measures to have their voices heard."

"Why can't things just stay the way they are? We've been getting along just fine until now."

"Because there's no justice in it, Cardin. That's your human privilege talking, I think the Faunus would beg to differ. There shouldn't be differences in the way society views humans and Faunus. There are laws in Vale that basically classify Faunus as second-class citizens when the Vivlío Mesoselēnon states that every citizen of Remnant should have no unfair treatment on the grounds of race, gender, orientation or spiritual beliefs. But these discriminatory laws supersede those. Say you fell in love with a Faunus girl, thirty years ago it would've been illegal to marry her and have children, when there was no literal reason to prevent inter-racial marriages other than prejudice against the Faunus. The fact that it took so long to change the law since the Faunus Revolution is embarrassing, and quite frankly, makes me ashamed of the human race. Faunus make up less than 10% of our government, there's barely a handful of Faunus CEOs in the top 100 corporations in the world, and that's including Mistral where they tend to be more Faunus-friendly. Don't even get me started on the way they treat Faunus from Menagerie."

Cardin conceded that she was, in fact, right about everything. He had personally witnessed his uncle getting off easy when he was convicted of domestic abuse against his Faunus wife, he got a suspended sentence and had to pay a fine and that was it. If the situation were reversed, a Faunus would be looking at 5-10 years minimum. The reason there were so many more Faunus in the prison system was due to the fact that they were more likely to be locked up for crimes that humans would get away with; they received no justice at all from supposedly neutral judges. A guilty verdict by a human jury was almost guaranteed for a Faunus, even if the evidence says otherwise.

"You're kinda sexy when you get all worked up."

"I'm being so serious right now, please tell me you've been listening and you understand me."

"I do, yeah."

"Good, I have Faunus friends and if I hear that you or your friends have been harassing them, life won't be very pleasant for you. I'll make sure of that." she said, flicking his nip hard as a threat.

He yelped like she had waxed his pubic hair without warning. "All right! No Faunus-bashing, got it. You don't have to get so sanctimonious." He cradled his pec to hide his injured nipple from her.

"That's a big word for you, Cardin. I hope you know what it means."

"It means you have morals and you're not afraid to let people know it."

Weiss rolled her eyes, but a smile creeped over her face. "Close enough." She climbed on top of him, sitting on his crotch, her lips were still wet from the last time. His eyes glazed over, and his dick hardened rapidly.

"You wanna fuck again, girl?"

"Obviously."

"Suck my dick first."

"Well, your essay still needs some improvement, but I'd say you've earned this." She choked on his large dick, her tiny mouth and throat barely able to handle his girth, let alone his length. But he loved it, she'd never really used her mouth on him before, and when her lips enclosed the tip of his dick, he was sure he touched heaven. Weiss limped out of there, there was no denying, Cardin pounded her ass hard. He started out gentle, making sweet love to her, but she made him work for his prize and she only came once he roughhoused her, bending her over the bed and stretching her legs wide open, while holding her face down into the bedspread.

Weiss entered her dorm in crinkled clothes, with damp hair and skin, and slightly out of breath. Ruby looked up from all the pieces of Crescent Rose that she was cleaning and polishing. "Where've you been? It's past midnight."

"Went for a run."

"In the rain?"

"I needed to clear my head. I'm gonna have a bath, so if you need the bathroom, I advise you go now."

Ruby shrugged so Weiss got out of her soggy clothes and grabbed her towel. She filled the bath and sank gratefully into the hot water. She lay there, thinking, and watching the steam rise until her fingers and toes went pruny. A dangerous activity for the guilt-ridden mind.

What if Yang never came back from jail? What then? Murder was a serious charge, the courts were not likely to look favourably on Yang since she had a publicly violent history, and she was drunk at the time. Would Cardin become her lover if Yang was sentenced to life imprisonment? She thought she could do it, that she could deal with it, and that her heart would not betray her, but she was cutting it very fine. Weiss would be lying if she said she would wait for Yang. She was a young woman, only just beginning the prime of her life, when and if Yang ever got out, they would be older and will have grown separately into completely different people. She wasn't sure that she would love the person that they released after all those years spent in a cage. Weiss shuddered when she thought about what being locked up 24/7 must be doing to Yang's mental health.

Weiss hated herself a lot right now. She had been disgustingly unfaithful, and lied to herself to justify it, and lied to everyone else to hide it, when really she ought to be going to see Yang every opportunity she got. She just hated that place so much, it was vile. All those criminals shoved together in such a confined space made her skin crawl. She hadn't noticed at first when she started crying, but the tears came thick and heavy and some dripped onto her lips where she could taste the saltiness. She felt so useless. Yang was in prison, suffering, while she stood, idle, on the other side of the bars. Weiss sullenly climbed out of the water she had allowed to cool to room temperature. The air was cold to her wet skin, and she broke out in goosebumps as she dried herself with her towel.

Weiss perched on the toilet lid, trembling, anxious of doing what needed to be done. She chose the number listed under the name 'Torsten Schnee' and didn't even let it connect before she hung up. She held up her heavy head with her hand and dialled again. She would give it ten rings, if he didn't pick up by then she would leave it. The line clicked as he answered after the fifth ring. The first sound she heard from the other end was his big yawn.

"Weiss, it's rather late. Is everything all right?"

Weiss let out a tiny gasp, her hand holding the scroll was shaking. "Something terrible happened and I need you."

"Do you need to come home? I can book the first flight tomorrow morning."

"No, I don't want to go home, I just need to borrow some money. A little more than my monthly allowance." she said meekly.

His tone changed to his boardroom voice and he sounded much more awake. "Money? How much?"

"One million Lien."

"What on Remnant do you need that much money for?"

"Bail."

"Weiss, are you calling me from prison?"

Weiss cringed at the thought of being in the same ghastly hell as Yang. It so easily could have been her, she wasn't glad it was Yang, but at the same time... "No, father, it's for a friend."

"Must be an important friend to be worth a million Lien."

"Oh, believe me. She is."

"Does your friend have a good lawyer? What's the accusation?"

Weiss cleared her throat. "Murder." It was never a good idea to lie to her father. She could hear him frown.

"Murder?" he repeated. Weiss had no excuses good enough to convince her father that it wasn't actual murder, the story was long and convoluted, and even the most sugarcoated truth made Yang and herself look really bad. There was a telling silence.

"I'm sorry, I never should have asked."

"Weiss, darling, if you really need the money for your friend then I'll be happy to provide it, on the condition that we have previously discussed if you want more access to the family funds. But if you bail her out, and she's found guilty anyway, they'll only lock her back up again and throw away the key. Murder charges don't just disappear."

"I know, but you can make them disappear. She can't spend one more minute in there. It's wrong, they've got it wrong. Please believe me, she's innocent, I swear. It should be me, I'm the cause of all this."

"Shhh, Weiss, slow down. Getting stressed now won't help anyone, least of all your friend."

"What should I do then?"

"Leave it to me. You do realise what I'll want from you in return for my help, don't you? I hope your friend is worth it." Weiss' silence spoke volumes. "Are you sure you want this? You don't seem entirely convinced. There's no changing your mind once I've instructed the barristers."

"Yes, I do want it. I want her."

"Sounds like she's more than a friend to you." His tone was candid.

Weiss stamped her feet to stop herself from snapping back verbally, she wanted him to take this super seriously. "Truthfully, yes, she is. Much more than a friend."

He heard the desperation in her voice, he knew that this was her last resort. "Does she have a court date yet?" Questioning Weiss about her personal life could wait for another time, preferably not 2am.

Weiss had meant to ask that when she visited the Winchester. Her conversation with Yang didn't go the way she planned. "I don't know."

"Does she have her own lawyer?"

Again, something that they failed to discuss. "No, probably not."

"If you gave me her name and prisoner ID, I could help a lot more."

"I'll email you."

"Ok, darling, I'll look out for it. Is there anything else I can do to help?"

Weiss was done with her free trial period of life without Yang, she would pay any cost to get Yang back, even if what her father asked of her was very dear. All that, and still Yang's freedom was not guaranteed, Weiss would be crushed under her painfully high hopes if the plan fell through. Weiss looked up at the ceiling, wishing for a miracle. "Do whatever you have to, just get her out of there. I need her more than anything."

Her father told her to get some sleep and that they would talk again in the morning. Weiss sighed after they hung up and trudged back to bed, feeling weak but relieved that she had finally done something worth a damn.

 **A/N: WeissxCardin, what's that even called? #SorryNotSorry. They match, they're both Slytherins, Cardin has a kinda Draco in Leather Pants effect for me lol.**


	10. Chapter 8: The Cold Castle

**A/N: I feel it needs to be stated that Sten is not Jacques. Jacques is pretty one-dimensional, and Sten is, well, you'll see. I repeat, TORSTEN GREGOR SCHNEE IS NOT JACQUES SCHNEE. I wrote the majority of this story and definitely the outline way, way before Volume 4 came out, so it's definitely an AU, and there are some differences in the Schnee family to the show. Sten is from the Schnee lineage, while Jacques is not. Whitley doesn't exist. Rosa Quartz-Schnee is a hilarious drunk middle-aged woman, Willow is… well, I don't know what she is because she was never actually in the show. Klein doesn't exist.**

 **Chapter 8: The Cold Castle on the Mountain**

Yang was stepping into the van to be transported back to jail, when a legal aid flagged them down and told them that court was re-adjourning in five minutes. Cold rushed through her veins, she was done for, she just knew. The jury had only retired a few hours ago, was it normal to make a decision that quickly? Yang was seated in the docks, they did not bother to remove her chains. Sweat dripped down her back and she worked herself up into an internal frenzy, convinced the only reason they could have finished so quickly, is that they simply decided to lock her up for the rest of her life.

"All rise."

"Has the jury come to a decision?"

"We have, Your Honour."

"You expect me to believe that you have debated this very serious matter with appropriate consideration in the short time that the court was in recess?"

"Yes, Your Honour. We, the jury, have, in fact, reached a unanimous decision." said the foreman.

"What is your verdict? Guilty, or not guilty?"

"We, the people of the jury, agree on the verdict 'not guilty', Your Honour."

"I formally note the jury's decision. However, the final call belongs to me. Miss Xiao Long, you were publicly witnessed to have violent tendencies, and even now, you are brought before me facing charges of aggressive assault possibly causing the loss of a life. Despite that, the fact that you were intoxicated and molested prior to the incident in question, a complete lack of premeditation, and your occupation as a Huntress, compels me not to label you as a danger to the public. The deceased knew of your temperament and provoked you regardless.

"I have carefully evaluated all the evidence to hand, and sentence you to a conditional discharge from custody without parole. Taking away your freedom would do more harm than good, and having taken into account the positive character references given to me, I feel this punishment is fair and appropriate. Provided that no further charges are brought against you in the next seven years, you are hereby acquitted of all crimes."

"Let the record show that His Honour, Judge Stark, has reached a verdict in the trial of the People of Vale versus Yang Xiao Long. Of the crimes of assault, assault and battery, assault with the intention of grievous bodily harm, the court finds the defendant acquitted as not proven. In regards to the crime of murder in the third degree, the court finds the defendant not guilty and is to be released from custody."

Yang's new attorney smiled for the first time since she had met him. His office waded through a sea of paperwork, police reports and interviews, medical files and notes. They ordered new tests to be done by better, more expensive experts. Forensic teams and doctors reviewed everything in excruciating detail and swore under oath that it was definitely the gunshots that were the mortal wounds. They picked apart the prosecutor's attack on Yang, based on newly uncovered proof that the police were tampering with the evidence in the case. Obviously, it was much easier to convince a new judge of their line of thinking, as they had deposed the first judge who presided over Yang's hearing, something about a scandal involving an escort who looked eerily like Yang.

All the witnesses, including Weiss, seemed to be on her side this time, and all gave favourable testimony on the stand. However, Weiss refused to connect with her at all, even through eye contact and the cross-examiner did not fail to pick up on this fact. Yang's lawyer was quick to dismiss this as irrelevant. They pointed the finger at Ash, called him to the stand, and brought up his past and present criminal behaviour.

Her attorney grilled her for details that they used to pin it all on him. He stared at her with his beady eyes as he accused the lawyers of falsely offering him a plea deal so that he would testify, and they replied that there was no such plea deal. His testifying counted as material evidence in his own trial which was set for a later date. He had given away that he had spoken to the guy before shooting him, which happened to corroborate Yang's story and also implicate himself at the same time, but she had no sympathy for him after all. She even looked scared of him, which was something that the lawyers went over with her multiple times before the trial. The minute details of how she had to act during questioning and cross-examination were drummed into her head with rude efficiency, as though her life depended on it.

She trusted them and their bespoke designer suits, they were so focused on winning her case, it was like they didn't even care that she was pretty much guilty. The truth of the events that night didn't matter, all they cared about was whether, at the end of it all, the judge gave the verdict that they wanted.

It was all over. Yang almost couldn't believe it. She had forgotten how good it felt to smile, it had become so foreign to her. The judge signed and dated her release waiver, she would be free to go Monday morning, after the weekend when the prison admin office was closed. Her personal guard escort unlocked the handcuffs, and Yang rubbed her wrists where they had been touching her, because she saw people do that in movies. She rode in the front of the van with the driver and the correctional officer. Her cell felt so much more spacious when she walked back inside. It was like there was an exit to use, even though they locked her in for the night at 10 along with all the other inmates.

Preparations began for Yang to leave that night. She was brought to the medical unit, and they took her inside a padded room. Her stomach churned, this seemed a lot like another prison, but smaller and intended for psychos. The stains on the walls were suspiciously shaped like blood splatters, even though they were so old that they were black. Two huge COs were locked in the room with her, and she panicked when they told her to undress. They rolled their eyes, and threatened her with a sedative, so she disrobed with apprehension. Yang desperately tried to figure out what this room was for, it wasn't like any room in the prison she had seen before, and the tough, armoured suits that the COs were putting on kept her nerves buzzing. They came at her like two large juggernauts, walking fortresses, behind ten inches of steel, rubber, and super-hard plastic. One held her down and the other pinned her with an oversized syringe, or more specifically her arm.

Yang cowered, they were protected from head-to-foot while she was in her underwear. Next thing she knew, her arm had been punctured, a huge needle delivering the local anaesthetic. She whimpered and moaned as it stung like hell. Within minutes, her arm was completely dead from the elbow down, her limb flopped uselessly about. A strange gun was pulled out of a toolkit, and Yang struggled momentarily before they stabbed her with that, right on the place she had been numbed. The prick left nothing but a touch, and a little pressure, but that was it. They activated the device, and a small amount of suction pulled through her vein. She tried not to look, but morbid fascination got the better of her. She lost at least half a cup of blood through the tube, but knew it was done when a nasty metal object, smaller than a ball bearing but covered in spikes like an underwater mine, splurged through the machine and pinged onto the electromagnet. She immediately felt sick.

Something hit her, similar to a wave crashing over her head, then another, and then another. But it lacked physicality. She closed her eyes to internalise the experience even more. She flew, guided by winds, over planets and stars, suns and moons. She was gliding in emptiness through clouds over mountains and through deep ocean trenches. Her lungs were full of water, but her body felt light as a feather. She whipped and whirled around in blank three dimensional space, searching for the source. Invisible puppet strings pulled her further along.

 _Aura_. The essence of life.

Yang did not find it on her own. Through the clouds, trapped in the murkiness, she saw faces. She felt warm hands on her back, but no bodies that they were attached to. There were voices too, but she couldn't make out words. All those voices, so much pain, so much happiness. Singing rang through her ears, she could barely hear the words but she knew them off by heart. Warm breeze on summer mornings, sunbeams shining through gaps in the clouds. Yang's last thought was of her mother, as she surfaced from drowning. She called out to her, and reached for her. She was so close, but she felt nothing. Then everything. Pain stabbed her eyes as she opened them to the real world. An overwhelming bright, burning light originated from her. Aura - liquid gold - finally returned to her body, warming her up like hot cocoa and a cosy corner. The visible surges pulsed through her veins, glowing under her skin.

She was back, all her broken pieces were restored. Her fingers tingled as she assumed control of her power once again. There was only one thing for it; give it a test run. She looked at the COs wearing the body armour, and realised what a shitty job they had. Yang did what Yang did best, explode. Fire, ash, and brimstone scorched the armour and the walls. Yang's hair floated around her, the shining, golden, resplendent hair returned to its former glory. She smiled and then really turned up the heat, feeding on the ambrosia. Power bloomed outwards. The guards shielded their eyes. Yang found her legs and leapt. The floor cracked when she landed knuckles first, and the room shook threateningly. One swing was all it took to completely destroy the chest armour on one of the guards.

God, it felt good to be strong and beautiful again. Then she doubled over and puked her guts up. All that food went to waste.

"Are you done? Just know that using your aura at any time on the prison grounds is a felony and be assured that we will have the evidence to convict you. A judge can rule that you'll have to live with an implant permanently."

"Good to know. I'll behave."

Yang had a few affairs to wrap up before she left. She went to say goodbye to Ash, but he ignored her presence, despite her sincere wishes that they could still be friends. Now that she had her aura back, she had no need for the steroids he gave her for free, so she tried to give the rest of them back. He let the baggy drop to the floor, so she kept hold of them. She shrugged and moved on. If he did not care about her anymore, she would not care harder. She slept fine that night, but she saw him at breakfast looking thinner with a face like a ghost.

Yang had been moved back to the main prison, and not said a word to Cinder. Nothing, not even so much as a nod or a glance as Yang put all her stuff in a clear plastic bag and had a guard escort her out. It was a terrible idea, and consequences would be dire if she were to be caught, but Yang snuck into C Wing to explain to Cinder how she felt about her. She knew the route from Cinder's cell to the cafeteria and used the back entrance into the kitchen to join the crowds as they left. Tracking Cinder was easy, she still sauntered around like she owned the place, and everyone gave her a wide berth. Yang stepped into the empty space behind her, and tapped Cinder on the shoulder.

Cinder dodged out of the way and brandished a toothbrush handle, sharpened into a point. She was probably used to being threatened or attacked. Better to be safe than sorry. "What are you doing here?"

Yang fought a grin, and held up her empty hands. "Came to say goodbye."

"What a wasted sentiment, and a waste of my time."

Yang gestured sarcastically to the grey walls. "There's plenty of time on your hands, Cinder, I'm sure you could spare a minute of it for little old me." Cinder's expression soured. "I'll be quick. I'm leaving, I got out. But I wanted to tell you that I don't hold it against you."

"What?"

"Having me attacked."

Cinder held the bridge of her nose, but her snort still came out and turned into a cruel laugh. Cinder was very practised at that laugh, and Yang was not immune to the belittling sound of it. "I did no such thing."

Yang punched the wall behind Cinder, turning it to dust. Her eyes grew blood red, making Cinder jump. Yang's arm cast a dark shadow over Cinder's twitching eyes. It was better this way, so that Yang could say everything she had to say and not have to stop because Cinder was too terrified of her.

"Don't lie to me, I know you did. All because you wanted your private room back, to teach me some kind of lesson. It wasn't even my fault I was there."

"You'll never prove it."

"I just told you that I don't care, I'm getting out of here. I hate your friend Mercury though, he fucked up my life. Figures he's already dead. First thing I would've done after getting out of here, would be find him and pay him a visit." Yang leaned in way too close, she could see Cinder reeling as her face came nearer. "I want you to know, that I did try to kill him," she whispered, "I enjoyed it. I'd do it again. He hurt someone I love. And I won't hesitate to exact the same vengeance on anyone who tries to hurt me through someone close to me. Do you understand me, Cinder? This is a threat. Maybe I'm not one of the good guys. The world's not so black and white anymore. You're lucky, in a way, that no one loves you, must make it easy to forget about the people in your life."

"You can't understand me, don't even try."

Yang made a noise of disgust. "I don't want to. You frighten me, not because you're dangerous, but because you're dead on the inside."

Cinder stared blankly, but her voice was unstable. "I hate you."

Yang leaned back from Cinder, not wanting to share space with her, or be infected by her malice. "Maybe there is something human still inside you somewhere. But you deserve whatever punishment life has in store for you. I'll leave destiny to deal with you. You'll die a dusty, dried up, old woman behind bars, and that's if someone else doesn't get to you first."

"Get out of my face. Before I call the guards."

Yang skedaddled, innately sensing that her stealth skills were only so good, and C Wing was not a place she wanted to be caught.

Nothing stayed secret for very long in jail, so soon people were asking Yang when she was leaving and when her party was. Yang was confused, there was no party she had planned, but knew her friends in the kitchen would use any excuse to drink hooch. Her favourite chef brought out a lumpy, asymmetrical cake from behind his back when she came to make her last delivery.

"What's this?"

"For you. Well, I mean nobody's having buttered toast for like two weeks now, but you got a cake, so…"

"Aw, seriously you guys shouldn't have. Smells great."

The sweet taste of vanilla sponge induced pure euphoria. Yang ate every crumb. She made sure that there were two extra large slices of cake and she delivered them personally to Olivia and Uzo. She bribed them to come to her party with the promise of more sugar. They totally fell for it and were instantly sucked into the party vibe when they got to the mess hall. Yang dragged Uzo aside to have a private word.

"You know, things are different on the outside to when you were free. Granted, it's still there, but racism is hardly a big issue anymore. Faunus walk around freely in the streets, they don't have to have guardians, or wear tags anymore. The government overturned the law that would catalogue and track every Faunus citizen. You did it, mission accomplished."

"Still, there's plenty more work to do."

"Yeah, but at least you can smile about the changes already made because of people like you."

"Well," Uzo cleared her throat. "And people like you."

Tears glittered in Yang's eyes and a smile split her face. "I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you too." Without being forced, Uzo stepped into Yang's personal space and put an arm around her. Yang was so shocked, she didn't get a chance to hug back before Uzo let go. Olivia saw the look on Yang's face and smiled.

"Now, don't go getting yourself into trouble again, you hear?"

"Yes, mom." Yang sung at her in a childlike voice. They were so happy for her that she was leaving, they gave their friendship as an apology for treating her like scum, and she promised to never forget them. Yang used the last of her commissary fund to buy Olivia a new deck of cards, with all 52 cards present and accounted for.

Yang had to be up and ready at 4:30am for her release at six. She barely slept, her nerves gave her nausea, she may as well have slept on a bed of nails. Her lawyers were required for filling in paperwork, they were punctual and informative on the short process. Prison staff returned her stuff in a cardboard box, and gave her some non-descript civvie clothes. She dropped everything and clawed through the box, taking out her orange scarf. She pressed it to her face, inhaling deeply the stale scent of home.

After she changed, an armed escort made sure she got to the gates, then they kicked her out onto the street. Prison was supposed to prepare her to fend for herself in the outside world, but they did nothing of the sort. She didn't have any money or any way of travelling home, and she was not going to get back the way she returned to Beacon from the police station - giving a cabbie a ride for a ride. Just as she had given up hope of leaving with some dignity, an unbelievably clean and waxed white car pulled up in front of her.

First thing she saw when someone got out of the car was a flash of white, and Yang's heart did a somersault. A man stepped out of the vehicle, and it pulled away from the no parking red zone.

"Hello," Yang cleared her throat nervously, "sir."

"Hello," he said and beamed her one of his most welcoming smiles. "You know who I am?"

It was obvious. The perfectly coiffed snow-white hair and neatly trimmed beard, the stone grey suit with a price tag that would boggle Yang's mind, shoes to match, Schnee crests on all the accents and details. He seemed so clean and fresh that dirt and grime would never stick to his finery. Even his skin looked expensive, it was bronzed and tan, vibrant from all the vacations he could clearly afford. From a fair distance, she caught a whiff of his aftershave, which immediately made her think of a yacht, sea breeze, suncream, ropes, and jet fuel.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Schnee." She curtsied, and immediately regretted the decision. The corners of his eyes crinkled and his mouth twitched like he wanted to smile. He was laughing at her in his head and she knew it. Yang drew her shoulders back, sucked her tummy in, and lowered into a slight fighting stance, it helped her brain work more readily. She kept her hands lowered for the time being, but now she was ready for him.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Xiao Long," he said, taking her hand and stooping low to kiss her knuckles. She blushed at the archaic greeting. "And please, all my friends call me Sten." He looked so deep into her eyes, she was staring at the reflection of her own face. She forced a smile to be polite, it still felt like she was bending her mouth unnaturally. He finally stood up, his face was friendlier than ever.

"That's definitely not the first thing I expected to hear when I came out of prison. And all my friends call me Yang." A little untrue, Weiss definitely called her vomit-inducing pet names from time to time, but for the majority, her friends did stick to Yang.

"I've heard a lot about you, Yang. I'm sorry Weiss couldn't be here."

"I thought she might've had something to do with you being here. Why are you here, and not her?"

He took a deep breath, and let it out in a frustrated sigh, bothered that he would have to talk shop so soon. "My presence was required to ensure the legal team performed to the best of their abilities."

"So this is all business."

"I had, shall we say, personal interest in you too. I've had to bribe a few police officers on my daughters' behalf before, but they've never asked me for bail money for someone else." Sten saw her eyes widen, he found their colour very beautiful. "You must be fairly important to Weiss."

"To be honest, sir, I don't know what she thinks of me at the moment."

"It's Sten," he half-smiled and she quickly apologised. "I know how she can be sometimes, Weiss is not good at expressing her feelings. But she's looking out for you, I promise you. Allow me to escort you back to your home, my car is waiting for us."

Yang stayed where she was, a stick in the mud. "When you say she's looking out for me, you mean like when she got you involved and convinced you to pay for fancy lawyers and take care of all the legal fees, show up here, wait around for the verdict, and drive me back to Beacon? What are you doing here, really?" Yang was smart enough to know that this man's time was expensive, he probably had the highest hourly rate in Remnant.

"Put simply. Weiss was adamant that I help. I believe she cares for you a great deal."

"Didn't seem that way the last time we talked," Yang said bitterly.

Irritatingly, he smiled. His eyes roved over her again, tracing her edges, memorising her silhouette. "You have a lot of feelings about her, don't you?"

"Are you testing me? If I answer wrong, do I get sent back to jail?"

"I can assure you, you're free to go. Forgive me for being a father interested in the romantic partner of his youngest, and most rebellious, daughter. I know she's assertive of her independence, but I still provide her with guidance where I can." He smiled when Yang raised her eyebrows. He was obviously keeping her on edge because he was not what she expected. He could not keep the smile off his face, and was unnervingly friendly. Where was the heartless head of a corporation that Weiss said she grew up with, with anger issues and a cruel streak in his heart?

Like practically everyone on Remnant, Yang had seen pictures of Mr Torsten Schnee but never before seen him in person. He did not belong, standing with her outside a prison, clearly the richest person to ever step foot on this sidewalk. Her lips shook under the pressure of coming up with something to say. He saw her troubles, and spoke up again, "Weiss must've been at the very end of her tether to call me directly for help. When I learned your name, I looked you up. You have quite the online presence, Yang. You're the very beautiful subject of the fastest growing website on Remnant. You're famous. It's quite obvious, though never outright stated, that you're in a relationship with my daughter. Naturally, you can imagine the intrigue I felt about meeting you."

"Oh." Yang imagined herself falling to the floor with embarrassment. She wavered unsteadily, knowing it was her turn to speak, but she was at a loss for words. She had to decide quickly whether she wanted to link her real and online selves, but Weiss was the one to make a lot of those decisions in the past. Yang's selfies had never been that popular before, not until Weiss got ahold of them and did her post-production magic. She tried her hardest to remember what exactly had been posted, but she only kept a mental record of her current records of likes.

"Yeah, that's me. Coming fresh out of prison, I probably didn't make the best first impression," she added as a caveat. Yang was apprehensive, she had expected Weiss to be present when she met the infamous Mr Schnee. She had no reference point for how to act in front of him.

"My expectations have been met and consequently exceeded. I think I like you, Miss Xiao Long." Suddenly, he had returned to formality to say the most informal statement.

"Why?"

"You're not afraid to banter with me."

"Sorry, _sir_ , I didn't realise that was banter."

His laughter had her grinning easily. "I think I like you even more than I thought."

"Why's that?"

"You act true to yourself around me, which, in my world, is an exceptionally rare thing."

Yang had no response to that. She had only been with him for five minutes, but she had to re-think her entire opinion of him. The way Weiss had described him was vastly different to his charming and gentlemanly behaviour. She noticed that he was incredibly polite, he walked on the roadside of the sidewalk, a leftover piece of chivalry code unnecessary in modern times. He refused to let her carry anything, not that she had very much, and gave her his jacket to protect her hair when it started to rain as they were walking to the car.

He walked tall, he was much taller than Yang had expected. Nothing about him was anything like she expected, except, of course, the white hair and the fact that he was rich as fuck. He shattered the image she had in her mind of a portly middle-aged man wearing a suit that made him look like a waddling penguin. Instead, he was spry and nimble. His face was jubilant, rather than the magisterial sneer she had envisioned from Weiss' descriptions of him as unchallengeable. Maybe it was just because she was fresh out the cage, but he was the happiest person she had seen in a long time, and she automatically related it to how clean he was. He made her feel unwashed, but he never looked down at her for it.

Once the rain began to fall in earnest, he helped keep the jacket over her head as they ran for his car. He opened the door for her, and bowed while she climbed in. He was getting drenched, so he slid in after her. He sat up straight on the comfortable seat, regal and polished, even with raindrops dripping down his face. Sten smiled at her hesitancy, and Yang finally leaned back.

To go from the dirt and dust, the enclosed, grey, chipped concrete world of Winchester Prison to the soft luxury of smooth calf-leather seats and new car smell air fresheners, was throwing Yang for a loop. She couldn't keep the tears in as she watched the rainfall from behind the protection of bullet-resistant glass.

Sten handed her his handkerchief. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Yang shook her head, screwing up her face. "It was just so horrible in there. They're people, real people. Every single person in there, is treated like shit. There must be a better way. Locking everyone up together with nothing to do isn't the right solution. It drives people crazy, it's not safe."

"You were in there as a precaution, you were not guilty. Some of them are not as innocent as you are."

Yang swallowed. "Weiss didn't tell you what I did to end up inside, did she?"

"I know certainly more than I am entitled to. But even without foreknowledge, I think I'd know you're a fighter."

Yang folded her arms. He could read her like a book, but at least she didn't feel pressured to hide anything from him. Knowing what Weiss said about him, it would be pretty much impossible to lie to him. "Yeah, I am, and it's not the first time it's got me into trouble."

Sten stared thoughtfully out of his rain-drenched window, but Yang caught his eye in the reflection. "I'm not holding it against you."

"A lot of people will. I just came out of jail. You're not stupid, you know what's going on between me and Weiss, and you seem to be ok with it. Honestly, I'm confused by that."

He turned to her fully. "Why? Should I be worried about you?" Yang shook her head no immediately. "I thought so too. She's old enough to make her own choices, I trust Weiss' judgment of you. You must be really special to her. You'll actually be the first."

"First what?"

"You're the first person she's ever asked to come to dinner with us. I think she wants you to stay with us for the school break." He grinned. "I'm not sure if I was supposed to mention that."

"You'd be ok with that?"

"Of course, it's not like we'd run out of space. Our house has 238 bedrooms." Sten happily informed her that arrangements had already been made, although she was free to turn down the invitation if she wished. It was too rude to decline the offer, plus she had always wanted to fly first class. Smiling and giving her the space she needed, Sten watched her carefully while he made phone calls for the rest of the journey. The long car ride finally over, Yang could hear her name being shouted as they pulled up to the gate. She burst out of the passenger door, and ran around the car to face the crowd that had gathered under Beacon's main gate, the thousands who were braving the storm that welcomed Yang home.

Her eyes picked out one face, the only one she cared about seeing. She was standing under the banner that celebrated Yang's return, leaning an umbrella on her shoulder. Yang didn't give a fuck about the rain anymore, she tore down the street and flung her arms open. Weiss dropped her umbrella and charged out of the crowd, her arms held out towards Yang. They fell into one another, hands seeking the each other out. Arms wrapped around, and the hug was warm despite the rain.

"I'm sorry," Weiss choked out the words, and hid her face in Yang's hair.

"Shh, it doesn't matter," Yang murmured, and kissed her several more times on the side of the head. Weiss snuggled her so much tighter, she was holding on for dear life. They stayed that way for several minutes, getting soaked by the rain. Thousands of photos were taken of their reunion, the emotional display open to the public, but Yang still kept most of her feelings bottled up. They smiled a bit for their fans, but kept the interaction to a minimum and their faces were bent low to avoid making eye contact.

Sten approached under the cover of a large umbrella, keeping a slight distance. "Hello Weiss."

"Father. You came."

"It's been a while. I'm happy to see you."

Weiss clenched her fist and her jaw. "Me too."

"Don't I get a hug?" Sten held out his arm, even though Weiss was soaked to the bone. For this reason and many others, it was possibly the most awkward father-daughter hug that Yang had ever seen. "I've missed you."

"Yes, well." Weiss cleared her throat twice. "Didn't you say you couldn't stay for long?"

Sten said his goodbyes and drove off in his fancy wheels to make his way to the airport. He was due for a business meeting at noon, but Yang doubted that he was going to make it on time. He seemed to be fine with wasting time with her, and she barely met him today.

Weiss became much more smiley and enthusiastic once he was gone from view. Weiss indicated with a wave that they were ready to go inside. Help in the form of security was provided by Professor Port, whose large size was perfect for carving a path through the crowd so they could walk through the gates. His big hands pushed people back, and snatched away cheeky fingers that reached out to touch them. Once they were safely indoors, Port shut the doors behind them, mumbling about foolhardiness from beneath his great moustache.

Weiss squeezed some of the water out of her hair. "Ok, we need to pack. I'm taking you on holiday over the break, so we can get away from the city."

"But what about Ruby and Blake?"

"They're waiting for you back at the dorm. You know Blake hates rain, so she was waiting for you where it's dry, and where there's less people. We can hang with them for a couple hours before they set off for Patch. Then we'll make our way to the airport together to see them off, and catch our flight."

"Couldn't we stay here and chill?"

"Well, you could stay here and deal with the fallout from closing ΩBeaconBabes by yourself."

"You shut it down?"

"Yeah. I sold it." Weiss sighed and shrugged. "It was too much work. I thought about what you said, about how people judge you, and you're right. That's what people think of you, because that's what they see. They're not actually interested in knowing us, just our picture."

"But, we were making dough."

"Don't worry, we still do. Not as much, but ΩFreezerBurn is doing ok for now. Every week I sell the new owners a photo from our collection. Most of our fanbase has moved over to the new page, like you said they would. We still have trolls, but a lot of them went in the cull, so you were right about that too."

Yang sniggered. "Not just a pretty face, am I?"

"Well, if you wanna get technical, you're a CEO."

Yang needed to tie her shoelaces, because she be trippin'. "What?!"

"Well, I couldn't keep stockpiling the money in a current account, Inland Revenue started sending us letters, so I incorporated Freezerburn LLC, which we own jointly. Ruby gave me your address to set everything up. I mean, there's some papers for you to sign so we can finalise everything, but other than that, we're good to go on being our own bosses."

"Wow, CEO." Yang wolf whistled. "Never thought I'd see the day."

"Yeah, just like father." Weiss tutted. "You met him already."

"Yeah. That was weird."

"Sorry if he was horrible."

"No, he wasn't. He seems nice."

Weiss gulped. "Good, good." She nodded cautiously. "Did he say anything else?"

"He told me that you want me to come visit you over the break."

"Ah. I wish he'd let me ask you, I had a whole speech planned. I would really like it if you came to stay with us. Summer in Atlas is the nicest time to go."

"I'm not worried about the weather, I'm worried about meeting your folks. They won't like me. I just came out of prison, not the best start, is it? I'm too thick, Weiss, and your family are going to see that."

"I don't care what they think of you, I just want them to meet you. Stop looking like a sad little puppy. They'll see what I see, I'm sure of it. Plus Winter's on leave at the moment, so she'll be there. You can be at her welcome home party, and I can introduce you to all my friends from back home."

That did not appease Yang in the slightest. "Have you told them about me?"

"Not yet."

"But you definitely don't care what they think of me?" Yang raised an eyebrow. "When were you planning on telling them?"

"When we walk in the door. The best we can hope for from Winter is indifference, as long as she doesn't hate you. Don't stress, my mother will be too out of it to care, and my father seems to be ok with you."

"Are you just saying that to make me feel better?"

"Maybe."

"Weiss!"

"My father's the CEO of a multi-national, billion-Lien corporation, he has extremely high standards. He's very strict but fair." Weiss was sugarcoating, her father was known to be harsh and exacting of his staff and he viewed his family as public-facing employees. Anything less than immaculate was unacceptable.

"And my mother, well I'm not going to lie, there is a very real possibility that she won't like you but it really won't matter because nobody listens to her drunken rants so," Weiss shrugged, "you have nothing to worry about."

Yang still felt like there was a lot to worry about. "Your folks are ok with the fact that I'm a girl?"

Weiss flipped her hair behind her shoulder, so she could make her callous shrug more noticeable. "Yeah, they're fairly progressive in that regard."

"Wow, my dad would blow a gasket if I brought a girl home. I come from a backwater village on a backwater island where people are really old-fashioned. Back home, the neighbour's kid was gay, when he told them, they threw him out. He was my best friend, I grew up with him. We came out to each other and vowed to keep each other's secret because we knew it was a small town, everyone knew everyone. I thought dad would offer him some kindness and let him stay with us for a while, and I very nearly asked but I kept quiet when he said he was glad that disgusting thing was off his street, and said it was unnatural. Don't get me wrong, my dad is a great dad, he'd never let anything hurt me or Ruby but he's a bit backward, you know? I've known I was bi from a young age, so I just hid it from him, from everyone. Ruby found out, though luckily, she doesn't think like dad."

"My family comes with its own unique set of problems."

"I can imagine."

"As you know, I can be very demanding," Yang scoffed, but only because Weiss was stating the obvious. "And my family even more so. I'm the youngest daughter, so I'm quite special to them. I wouldn't have allowed myself to like you if you weren't suitable, so you shouldn't worry about it."

"I think there was a compliment in there somewhere, but I can't help feeling like I'm going to be put on trial by Schnee Incorporated for the position of your girlfriend."

"You won't be put on trial. They're just protective of their little girl. Although, it probably wouldn't hurt to bring your grades up a bit. But that wouldn't be for them, that's mainly for yourself."

Yang shivered and not from her rain-soaked clothes. "Sounds like I'll be a major disappointment. Weiss, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course I am. I chose you specially, and I make excellent choices. Please don't worry about them, I don't really care what they think, but I want to do the right thing and let them meet you."

Weiss led her by the hand, Yang had to be dragged along. The corridors that previously felt so familiar, now excluded her from absorbing the warmth of them. Like she was a trespasser or an intruder in her own home. The colours seemed different, more of an attack on her senses rather than something to appreciate. The art and decor seemed gaudy, even though she had never noticed such things before.

They changed out of their wet clothes, and Yang took an extended shower, so long that Weiss grew impatient, but didn't complain. She would let Yang do whatever she wanted, and rearrange her life around her to make Yang more comfortable. She had exchanged the plane tickets twice already so they could spend a bit longer at home.

With the remnants of prison rinsed off her, Yang watched the dirty water circle the drain. Her bath stuff had been left alone mostly, but she did use a bit of Weiss' shampoo so she could re-learn the scent of it. Way more at ease, Yang finally got to wear her own clothes again. Blake must have had the wise idea that Yang might be hungry, so she and Ruby had gone on a quest for snacks and returned halfway through Yang's shower. Ruby shot towards her at maximum speed and leapt into Yang's arms, giving her kisses like there was no tomorrow.

"I missed you so bad, Yang!" she squealed.

"Missed you too, pipsqueak."

Yang opened her eyes to see Blake patiently waiting her turn. Yang nearly let her feelings run away with her over the simple fact that Blake was still there, and had not left because of her. "I've never been so happy to see your face, Blake."

There was no way Ruby was letting Yang go, so she stuck an arm out and dragged Blake into the cuddle. Though she was embarrassed at first, Blake gave some of the best hugs in the world and gave in to the group hug, putting her arms around Ruby and Yang. She refused to let Weiss get away without being involved, she pulled her into the embrace as well and they breathed in the gratifying team spirit. No, it was more than that. Ruby and Yang shared a father, but now, all of them were deeply connected by familial bonds, the absence of Yang only making them grow much fonder of her and of each other. Blood of the covenant is thicker than water of the womb.

Packing was easier said than done, Yang had a lot more stuff than she remembered. She left most of it behind, she couldn't find reasons why she would need all of it. They would return to the dorm in less than a month, her stuff would still be there when they got back. It was fun to help Ruby pack though. Ruby had always been useless at packing. She would remember her whetstone, and her headphones at least, but forget her underwear and toothbrush. Yang listed the essentials off the top of her head while Ruby pointed to the items and yelled 'check!' She finally had something to laugh about when Ruby rifled through all her bags in a desperate panic looking for her best sniper scope, making double sure she packed it.

The airport was the setting for a few more massive group hugs. Yang had barely spent any time with Ruby and Blake and now she had to say goodbye. It was hard to let them go so easily. They promised they would call at least once a week.

Ruby gave Weiss a private hug while Yang and Blake were busy with their own. "You better look after my sister, I'm trusting you to take care of her."

"You know I will. Don't be worried, I know just what she needs."

"You guys are so perfect for each other."

Weiss scowled when Yang and Blake caught her being so happy in such a tight embrace with Ruby. She cleared her throat and smoothed down her ruffled clothing. She and Blake stood around awkwardly while Yang and Ruby had their final goodbye hug. When it was obvious that this was going to be a long one, Weiss leaned over to whisper.

"Thanks for all your help. I don't know what I would've done without you."

"Any time, Ice Queen." Blake's smirk sweetened when Weiss looked up at her sharply. "It was nothing. You're a good friend, you would've done the same for me."

"Maybe one day you could come visit my house. We have the hugest private library in the whole world."

"I don't think that's such a good idea. Doesn't your family hate the Faunus?"

"If I said no, would you believe me?"

Blake made a wry smile with one side of her mouth. "They'd hate me, and it's an awful idea."

"Actually, they're ok with individual Faunus, just not large groups."

"Like the White Fang, or even my little group of political friends? I can see that going down so well with them. I don't think I'd be able to keep my mouth shut if the issue came up."

"Yeah, you're right. Probably best if you didn't come then."

"Thanks for the offer, though. It's the thought that counts."

All too soon, a pleasant ascending jingle and computerised voice informed Ruby and Blake that their flight was boarding. Another massive round of hugs ensued, almost making Ruby and Blake the last ones to board. Yang and Weiss had another hour to wait yet.

"Goodbye, Yang! Have fun, and be good." Ruby waved. Yang and Weiss watched and waved back until they were out of sight. Weiss reached for Yang's hand, her fingers rubbed her skin for a second, until Yang clasped hands with her. Weiss leant her head on Yang's shoulder, and Yang curled an arm around her.

"Weiss, I need to tell you something. I'm sorry we had that fight. I was mad, but not at you."

"I'd already forgotten about it."

"I am really sorry though. You forgive me, right?" Yang chewed the inside of her lip.

"Yeah, of course." Weiss stroked Yang's cheek, and hurt filled her eyes with tears when she brushed over Yang's trembling jaw. "You knew I would, right?"

Yang took a deep breath and pursed her lips. Weiss' whole body flushed with fear, Yang was so close, but she seemed miles away. Weiss brought Yang's face down to her. "I don't care what happened when I saw you in prison. I was honestly so happy to see you today, Yang. I wasn't just acting because I was in front of a ton of people. It was one of the best moments of my life to have you back."

"Good." Yang leant in for the kiss, but a small flash caught her eye before they managed to close. Yang looked around to find where the light came from. She turned away from Weiss as someone tapped her on the shoulder. She wished she hadn't acknowledged it, but it was too late.

"Are you that Huntress from Scrollmates?" said a complete stranger right up in Yang's face.

"Do you mind, we were having a moment."

"Yeah, a moment that you fucking killed."

The stranger took a step back. "Whoa, I can see why they locked you up. You've got an attitude problem and a half." They fled before Yang could snap again.

Yang sighed and facepalmed. "Shit. I probably shouldn't have said that."

"Forget about them. They're not important."

"I shouldn't have been rude, now they'll hate me and tell all their friends what a bitch I am."

"Yang, stop it. You don't have to be this public figure if you don't want to be. You're not the Beacon Babe anymore, you don't owe anyone anything." Weiss covered Yang's tightly wound fist with her hand. She glanced to the people who were still watching from afar. "Come on, ignore them. I know just the thing to cheer you up."

Yang didn't find it difficult to deduce what Weiss had in mind: shopping. But first they went over to the airline desk, the queue for which ate up a lot of the time they had left before their flight was due to depart. Weiss saw the stress lines displaying on Yang's forehead.

"Don't worry, I'm going to exchange the tickets so we have a bit longer."

"But isn't it going to cost a lot more to change the tickets again?"

"Sure, but why not? There's no rush. Come on, we can shop in the duty free."

Weiss did try to avoid making Yang her octopus-armed bag carrier, but Yang ended up laden with thirty pounds of shopping in each hand. Weiss ran around like an excited ferret, showing Yang around all her favourite boutiques. Yang found little joy in spending frivolously, she wasn't looking to impress anyone with her financial assets, she had enough physical assets to do that. But she indulged her girlfriend, giving her honest opinion when asked.

"What do you think of this one?" Weiss held up a bubblegum pink dress, that still trailed on the floor with her arm fully extended.

It was a bit, well, pink. "You get it if you like it."

"But I thought about getting it for you, don't you want it?"

Yang's brow creased. "Not really."

"But it's so expensive, doesn't it look beautiful?" Weiss draped the dress over her body. There were an awful lot of nines on the price tag. Yang was still not impressed.

"Yeah, but don't splurge just because, get me something nice for an occasion or something."

"What could be more appropriate, you've just been released from prison."

"Well, exactly. Don't you think it's a bit much? Bargain bucket would be a step up for me."

"Hell no, you're not wearing anything with a discount under my watch."

"I don't like it anyway."

"Yang, please let me get you something. I missed your birthday last month."

Yang scoffed. "So did I." Yang's secondhand experience of 'Birthday Beats' scared her off enough that she kept her birthday a secret. She didn't even open the card she got from Ruby, because she knew it would draw attention to her.

"See. We need to do something to celebrate you getting out, and do something about your birthday. We have so much to catch up on."

"Yeah, but, I don't need stuff, ok. I need _you_."

Weiss crinkled the expensive material as she gripped it with suddenly sweaty hands. She knew she was smiling, and her cheeks were hot and flushed, she was sure she looked ridiculous. She flung the dress over the rack, and started a word that stopped before it reached her lips. It took a moment for Yang to realise what she had said, and they both fell into a desperately needed hug.

"This is all I need, I promise."

Weiss only dared to lean back for a second, but thought better of it. Nuzzling Yang was way better than bursting into tears in public - happy tears were way more embarrassing than normal ones. Weiss did not make a fuss about making any more extravagant purchases, but she did insist on getting Yang some practical winter clothes without springing for the most expensive items unless they both assessed and agreed on the quality.

Yang was awestruck by the luxury offered in first class. The bathroom was the most shocking, it had a fully functioning shower and a vanity mirror that had amazing lighting, perfect for selfies. There was still no room to swing a cat, but at least everything was in easy reach, like the quilted, scented toilet paper and the gold-speckled, pearl-enhanced hand wash. She could relax with champagne, and gourmet canapés on tap, and lay back in her padded, fully reclining seat to watch the latest movies together with Weiss. It did not matter when Yang drifted in and out of sleep, they found ultimate comfort aboard, with Yang resting her head on Weiss' bosom and feeling her chest rise and fall with every breath. Weiss definitely did not take advantage of Yang's snoozing to play with her hair.

Over on the other side of the world, people jumped out of Weiss Schnee's way, mainly because of the security escort that attached onto her from the moment they landed. They performed their own inspection of their luggage and ran metal detectors suspiciously over their bags and persons before they could go through the actual airport security. Yang found herself detesting the proximity they kept to her, she couldn't breathe or look sideways at things going on because of the men in black surrounding them in tight formation. Every moment of their journey was itinerated, from the airport to an armoured car to a private train, even their walking routes were mapped out and planned so that Weiss spent as little time as possible out in the open.

"What's with all the hired muscle?" Yang asked, once they were seated in the safety of the train's premier cabin. They had it all to themselves, except for the two silent guards at each door.

"Oh. My father was kidnapped and held for ransom when he was a little boy because he managed to escape his minder for literally one minute. Not a week goes by without some sort of threat to our safety so they are quite necessary. They don't bother me anymore."

"Well, they bother me. Could you tell them not to get too close?"

"Sure." Weiss swivelled her head to glare at one of the bodyguards, who nodded half an inch and then returned to being still as a statue.

Small settlements dotted the huge expanses of grey nothingness, Yang watched out the window as the villages of the old Mantle kingdom whizzed past the speeding train. These places truly felt on the edge of civilisation, the wilderness a mere stone's throw away. Far in the distance, a white-capped mountain dominated the landscape, head and shoulders above the range it protruded from, the visible side was curved like a hag's nose. Weiss pointed to the mountain and told Yang that was where they were headed, she lived about halfway up the dormant volcano.

The train climbed, zig-zagging through the steep terrain. The higher the altitude, the colder the air became. Long, spindly fingers of frost spanned over the windows. Yang shivered. She wasn't used to the cold. Weiss suggested some of the extra layers bought at the airport and Yang put them on over her clothes.

Yang was so grateful she did because the blast of cold air that hit her when the doors opened at their final destination chilled her to the bone. High up, the icy winds chapped her lips and made her face tingle, and Weiss' teeth were chattering after only two minutes outside. They almost jogged for the car that was waiting with the engine running, and once safely inside they cranked up the temperature on the heated seats and vents, while their bags were packed neatly into the trunk for them. The trip only took five minutes, and was mostly the distance from the main road up the driveway of the formidable Bletchley House. They were dropped off at the doors, and greeted by staff in uniform. Yang was disallowed from touching her bags even though she wanted to carry them, and offered to help multiple times, but the call of central heating and escaping from the wind was too strong to stand around and argue.

Weiss handed over her coat and the rest of her outer clothing without a second thought, but Yang felt uncomfortable giving her stuff to a friendly Faunus gentleman to hang up. She obviously knew she would get it back, she only needed to ask, but she was completely unaccustomed to being treated like a delicate flower.

"May I get you a drink?" the butler asked, before Yang got a chance to be introduced.

"Something hot. Non-alcoholic." Weiss gave clear instructions.

"Oooh, yes please."

"Very good."

"Thanks, uh, I didn't catch your name." He was already gone, she was speaking to his coat tails. Yang exhaled, crestfallen that she had not been polite enough to ask his name before he served her. She turned to Weiss for help and confirmation that she had not started off on the wrong foot.

Weiss regarded her sympathetically. "Would you like the tour while we wait? Our bags will be in my room by the time we're done."

"Some other time maybe, I'd really like to get warm if that's possible."

"Of course." Weiss offered her hand to Yang, and they joined, but not before Yang rubbed hers together and blew into them so Weiss would not have to touch the icicles she had for fingers.

Weiss led her through to a sitting room filled with antique furniture. Every painting on the wall was a fine work of art, original, and framed by ornate patterned wood, some bare, some inlaid with gold or other precious metals. The Schnees obviously took interior decorating very seriously, Yang could tell from the spotless fireplace that was taller than her, a chandelier bigger than Yang had ever seen in her life, intricate hand-woven rugs, fragile ornaments galore on prestigious pedestals. Yang stared around, trying and failing to take it all in.

"Are you gonna sit down or what?"

Yang felt like she would be billed for any dirt or damage to the wood-backed couch. Weiss pushed her down, Yang collapsed at the knees, sending her into the firm cushions. She hit her head slightly on the back rest. The bang shook something in her head, and a thought clicked.

"Are your parents really letting me stay in your room?"

Weiss plopped down next to her. "Yeah, why wouldn't they?"

"My dad doesn't let boys stay in my room."

"They've always given me that kind of freedom. They know you, well, my father's already met you. It's not like you're a stranger. Thank you, Woodhouse." Weiss reached up to take the two steaming drinks off the silver tray held out by the Faunus butler. He put the tray on the side table and closed the door behind him. "My parents don't like it when I lie, so if I'm honest with them, they can actually be quite accommodating."

Yang cradled her china mug with both hands, trying to suck some of the heat out of it. "That's fair."

Weiss snuggled up to Yang. "Warming up nicely?"

Yang couldn't help but notice how empty the house felt, even though she knew there were a full complement of butlers and maids, waiting to cater for her every need. "Getting there. Where are your parents anyway?"

Weiss checked her watch. "Father is at work, mother is about somewhere. We were supposed to be back several hours ago, I can't imagine she would wait for us. Are you sure you don't want me to show you around?"

"I wanna see your room."

"Ok, follow me."

Weiss' bedroom was almost exactly like Yang imagined, except three times the size, and that was only the main room. Yang couldn't have dreamed up the spiral staircases leading up and down to another two rooms of equal size. Weiss pointed out her music studio below them, with her own mini-recording studio and ridiculously pompous white grand piano. Above was another living room, decked out in swanky, comfortable furniture, much more homely and modern than the room downstairs. All the decor that looked like it came from an interior design show, cool and kind of plain, was centred around the focal point of an enormous bay window, looking out over the mountain range. She had a marble fireplace on one wall, and framed photos of her family and friends resting on the mantelpiece. Warmth flooded through Yang as she noticed a rather formal photo of Team RWBY in their uniforms front and centre of the arrangement of photographs. It was the only human touch in the room.

"That used to be my favourite picture of you," Weiss said when she noticed Yang inspecting it.

"Which one is your favourite now?" Yang wondered whether it was the same as hers.

"There's too many to choose from. I could narrow it down, but only to a hundred, at least. A top ten would be impossible. You're very photogenic."

"So are you."

"Aw, stop it. I can't hold a candle to you."

"Still don't know how to take a compliment." Yang sucked her teeth and gave Weiss a little kiss on the cheek, turning it pink. Weiss slipped into her arms. "So, this is your room where you grew up?"

"When I was at home, yeah. Do you like it?"

"You say that like you didn't spend a lot of time here."

"Well, I live here but Winter and I were at boarding school most of the time."

"Oh." Silly Yang, of course Weiss went to boarding school. Probably a very exclusive one that cost more than Yang could fathom. "Well, it's just like I imagined." Yang surveyed the huge room, but her focus returned to the room's main feature, the thing that brought it all together.

Weiss stood up straighter, she knew that she was being judged. "What?" she asked, verging on impatience.

"Weiss, you've changed. I can see it in your stature. Let me look at you." Weiss stepped back and stripped down to her vest with a sly grin. Yang's eyes popped. "Wow, you're jacked."

"I know right." Weiss raised her arms and flexed for Yang.

Yang bit her lip and took in the wonderful sight of Weiss from behind. "Oh my god, your glutes, they're so-" Big. Plump. Gravity-defying. Mouthwatering. Yang swallowed.

"Perfect?" Weiss raised her eyebrow. "Go ahead, feel. It's the closest you'll ever get to heaven."

"Such a huge difference. You still did it. All that time I was inside." Yang continued to walk circles around Weiss, moving helped to hide the emotion in her voice.

"It improves my strength at fighting and glyphs, and my endurance is through the roof. I couldn't give it up."

"How much do you weigh now?"

"One three five."

"Squat?"

"One three five."

"Nice! Deadlift?"

"Two Three Five!"

Yang laughed, surprised but very pleased. "You gonna show me what you can do?"

"Yeah, come on. We have a private gym."

"All this time we've been training, you've never mentioned that you have a gym at home?"

Weiss shivered. It was on the other side of the house that she barely went in, she hadn't actually seen it since it was installed. "Well, it's not mine really. It's my father's."

"Your dad trains?"

"I don't know what he does. He has a personal trainer, and goes first thing every morning. But, wait, before we do that. Yang, I haven't seen you for about twelve weeks." Weiss climbed onto the bed and its double thick mattress, facing Yang, on her knees so that they were about the same height. Weiss started undoing Yang's belt. Yang stood in front of her, staring down her top, with a cheeky, lazy smile on her face.

"Twelve weeks is a long time. By my count, it was more like two months, fifteen days, seventeen hours, and twenty-five minutes. Did you miss me?"

Weiss licked her lips. "What do you think?" she teased, as she whipped the leather out of its belt loops. She flicked the end of it around Yang's waist and caught it to entrap Yang and pull her forwards. Yang didn't hesitate to push Weiss down on the bed and kiss her senseless. It felt so good to be in private, something that Yang had sorely missed while in jail. Even without climbing under the covers properly, she could tell it was the most comfortable bed that she had ever lain on. They put every inch of the enormous four-poster bed to good use, rolling around playfully and messing about.

Yang blinked away tears that had grown unexpectedly under her eyelids. She kissed Weiss over and over again to hide them from her. Their mouths were wet, so it shouldn't be too surprising that her eyes were wet too, at least that was the logic that Yang was using to convince herself that everything was fine. All hope of concealment was lost when Weiss insisted that they stare into one another's eyes, in between peppering kisses all over Yang's face. Weiss tasted the salty tears.

Weiss propped herself up on her arms, hovering over Yang with a desperate look of concern. "Are you ok?"

Yang sniffed. "Yeah."

Weiss' nose wrinkled at the blatant lie. "You're crying."

Yang hid her mess of a face in the nape of Weiss' neck. "I just missed you is all."

Weiss' previously grabby hands were much less so; she soaked her fingers with tenderness and painted them around Yang's body. All their kisses were intimate but were refreshingly free from the pressure of foreplay. They placed themselves on their sides, leg entwined, so they were on equal footing.

"You sure you're ok?"

"Mmhm." Yang kissed Weiss on the nose. "Promise."

"There's something I want to show you."

Yang almost let her jaw drop when she saw Weiss naked for the first time, but she had to keep her mouth closed to keep all the drool inside. Yang was seriously impressed by the lean tissue she had added to her frame, Yang knew all about how hard it was for females to grow muscle. Weiss loved showing off her new curves. Yang couldn't get enough of the sight of her, the sound of her voice, the feel of her hard muscles beneath the soft and silky skin. She kissed Weiss' neck, on her clavicle, down towards her breasts, sliding her hand up and down Weiss' gorgeous thighs.

"Talk dirty to me."

"How will I be able to talk dirty if you're sitting on my face? Get over here, I want you all over me."

"Oh, you want to play like that." Yang dragged Weiss by the ankles, bringing her closer, rather than moving towards her, and mounted her. All her internal defenses and barriers she had erected in prison collapsed, she could almost physically sense them melting away.

"Fuck, Weiss. Your tongue feels so fucking good. Who've you been practising on?" Yang giggled.

Weiss frowned and tonguefucked Yang even deeper, hoping she would forget about everything else. Yang's lithe naked body tensed, her knuckles were white as her fingers dug into the soft headboard. Yang whimpered weakly, she hadn't sex in such a long time, she found it hard to let go and just release.

Weiss looked past Yang's ever-prominent six-pack, in between the gap of her cleavage, to her face. There was no grin, her eyes were closed, but not out of pleasure. Maybe she was trying too hard, or not hard enough, but Yang didn't seem as into it as Weiss remembered. Weiss retracted her tongue.

"No, don't stop."

Weiss moaned, pressing herself into Yang's snatch. She kissed and sucked on Yang's clit, coaxing it out of its hood, using her fingers to spread Yang wide open. A groan and a hiss escaped Yang's throat. She bounced up and sat back down, letting her full weight rest on Weiss. Weiss reached around and cupped Yang's ass, holding her in place. Her tongue found its way inside Yang's wet hole again, but she put less force behind her licks. Eventually, she got Yang to surrender to the bliss, and rub her pussy on Weiss' face and beg for more. Weiss would never have stopped, but Yang climbed off and gave Weiss a big thank-you kiss.

"You are quite the cunning linguist."

"You did not just say that."

"The old classics are still the best."

"It's funny, you know, you used to make me so tongue-tied."

"Your tongue has some serious talent. It's worth waiting for, let me tell you." Yang kissed her sopping wet lips, loving the taste of herself in her girlfriend's mouth.

Being summoned for dinner was the only way to make them leave the decadence of the soft bed. Reluctant to dress, Weiss compromised and put on her pajamas, and gave Yang a matching posh robe de chambre to wear over their bedclothes. The only other member of the Schnee family present was Rosa Schnee - already sloshed, and sitting at the table on ceremony, rather than because she was consuming the delicious food the staff brought out of the kitchen. Yang noticed that she had left it to go cold.

Yang could see where Weiss got her sense of style and makeup skills. Rosa was a picture perfect model, stunning baby blue eyes, full bow-shaped lips (possibly artificially enhanced), classically beautiful cheekbones, and a cute chin, except she was five foot nothing. Her long smooth hair was rose gold, with well-maintained pale pink and white highlights. She was fashionably dressed in a way that impressed Yang, but Rosa probably felt quite casual. Her ample bosom was on flamboyant display and seemed about 20 years younger that she did, Yang wondered when she might've gotten those installed. She was at ease enough that she wasn't hiding the fact that she could barely stand straight and revelled in taking a seat at the head of the table, and had the staff bring her endless martinis and vodka on the rocks.

"So, Yang, is it? That's a fabulous name, darling. Where's it from?" Rosa ate the olive from the cocktail stick, it was the only thing that Yang saw her eat - obviously it had to be drenched in gin.

Yang shot a sideways glance at Weiss who nodded for her to proceed as normal. "I'm from Patch like my dad. I'm named after him."

"Wonderful, darling. It's quite common to have a hand-me-down name, isn't it? Sweetie, we chose your name because it was your great-grandmother's middle name. Full of history, darling, very respectable." Rosa raised her drink, toasting to nothing in particular, but she used it as an excuse to finish her glass in one glug. "Weiss, sweetie, are you seeing anyone, darling?"

"This is my girlfriend. I thought I told you."

"Oh, right. Yes, I remember now. Girlfriend, darling. That's great, sweetie. Couldn't be happier for you, sweetie-darling." Rosa lit a long, slim cigarette at the table. Her cheeks sunk in as she took a drag, emphasising her elegant bone structure even more. "Fantastic! How long have you two lovebirds been together, eh?" She knocked the ash on the plate she was meant to be eating from.

Weiss facepalmed at her mother's insincerity. "I'm sorry about her." Weiss whispered.

"Don't be." Yang whispered back, smirking.

"A few months, mother. That's eight cases of wine to you." she added under the breath so Yang snorted into her glass.

"Few months? Fabulous, darling. You kids these days, falling in love at the drop of a hat. Speaking of, when should I buy a hat, sweetie?"

"Mother!"

"Well, I like to be prepared, darling. It's always good to know your plans in advance. Everything moves so fast these days, that's why I smoke blunts. Everyone needs to relax every now and again. So, Yang, how was prison?" Rosa asked, like prison was a spa getaway.

"Uhhh…" Yang cleared her throat. "It was-"

"Hey, can we change the subject?"

"Only trying to be friendly, darling. You know, show that I'm interested. Whatever. Who's up for a bit of fun tonight, sweetie-darling? I feel like we should have a party, seeing as it's your first night here. Celebration, darling, that's what we need. Have you ever tried cocaine, Yang?" She fluttered her eyelashes at Yang, and swirled her latest cocktail, something pink with a mint leaf floating in it.

Weiss was losing her patience. "Mother, that's inappropriate at the dinner table. You're already hammered, any more and you'll pass out where you stand!"

Rosa had already taken her stash out, but she rolled her eyes and put it away after Weiss' scowl and hand signal to cut it out. Rosa tossed up her bejewelled hands in dismay. "Just making conversation, darling."

The rest of dinner was just as hilariously awkward, with Rosa getting progressively more drunk. Yang couldn't hide her amusement, and Rosa didn't seem to mind Yang. She actually listened when Yang answered which made Weiss knock over a glass in shock. The butler came to clean it up, and threw a sly smirk in Yang's direction. He found it just as funny as Yang at her discovery that Rosa was a decadent lush. Rosa laughed along with them, all the while never realising that she was the butt of the joke.

The red wine that was served with the pheasant went straight to Yang's head. It had been ages since she'd had proper alcohol, and it went down quite easily, almost too easily. She followed Weiss upstairs, stumbling, full of giggles and food.

"Let's do the gym thing tomorrow, I'm stuffed."

"Sounds like a plan, I'm a bit groggy from all the travelling anyway."

They didn't need to change for bed since they were already in their PJs. Yang took one look at the bed and already felt the tendrils of sleep seep into her brain. Her head was so heavy, her eyelids were closing. Weiss curled her arms around Yang from behind, holding her upright. Yang sighed as she felt small fingers move her hair, and soft, warm lips on the skin of her neck. Weiss lavished her with attention, taking care of Yang's desires and her own. The PJs went straight into the laundry, and they climbed into bed, satiated and tired. Yang was right, she was laying on a cloud. Leaving would be nigh impossible. They were wrapped in each other's arms, trying to avoid falling asleep but it proved futile.

Weiss woke first, but she couldn't move. She was encased in the duvet and Yang's arm was resting over her body. She yawned, it was very possible to go back to sleep, but she relaxed into the pillows and watched Yang slumber for about half an hour.

"Morning, sleepy head."

"Wow, that was the best night's sleep ever."

"It was, wasn't it? What would you like for breakfast? You can eat basically anything you want."

"Don't want to go anywhere at the moment." Yang gathered Weiss closer to her. "I want to enjoy this for a bit longer."

Weiss chuckled. "Whatever you like, darling."

Maybe an hour later, they got up and wandered down to the kitchen. Weiss ate what Yang requested, a full plate of fat-filled fried food, Yang found it was what she craved most after the scarcity of it in jail. Their eyes bulged at the size of the feast laid out before them, there was no way they could eat it all, but Yang promised herself she would try. Weiss nearly beat Yang with the sheer quantity of food she ate, but she stopped before she polished off her third plate. Yang told her not to worry about the effects on her body, they would be hitting the gym soon, and the thought of training with Yang brought a big smile to Weiss' face.

"This is your gym? Holy fuck." It made Beacon's refurbished gym look like a kid's soft play area. Yang bounced around, inspecting all the high-end equipment, slightly envious that Weiss had all this cool stuff in her house. It was clearly designed by someone who knew their way around the weight room. Yang couldn't wait to get started, and Weiss suggested they start with the exercise she loved to hate the most: deadlifts.

Weiss prepped herself to repeat the best performance she had ever put on with the bar. Yang puffed up with pride that Weiss got into the perfect setup and heaved with a back so straight you could balance a beer on it. Yang's eyes widened when she saw how easy it was for Weiss to lift well over double her bodyweight, such a drastic improvement to the last time they had been in a gym together. It was her best lift, but her squat was more than decent too.

"Weiss, I'm so impressed. I can't believe you did it all by yourself. I'm so proud of you."

"Did I do good?"

"Yes, big time! Please tell me you're proud of yourself as well."

"I did it, mainly, for you." Weiss snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah, Yang. Guess who single-handedly wiped the training room floor with Team CRDL when you were gone. I'll give you a clue, me."

"What, really?" Yang let her surprise be heard in her voice.

"Don't be too shocked, it's not that hard to believe."

"I mean, of course, sorry. Well done. I wanna watch the replay."

"We can stream it on my TV upstairs, once you've finished your set." Weiss double clicked her fingers this time, pointing to the bar resting on the lifting platform.

"Gotten quite domineering while I've been gone, I see. No one around to put you in your place." Yang teased.

"Yang Xiao Long, whatever you're insinuating, I strongly disagree. I've always been this way."

"Hmf. Don't ever change. I like this new and improved Weiss."

Weiss let smugness fill her head. It had been a long while since she had seen Winter or the rest of her extended family, she was sure they would be shocked at the changes she had undergone. She couldn't wait to showcase her new self to them at Winter's party. The dress she had chosen overtly displayed the highlights of her physical improvements, and made her even more excited when Yang told her it was the sexiest garment that she had ever seen her wear. She watched her diet the whole day to ensure she wasn't bloated for the big event.

Like the rest of the house, or mansion really, the party was huge. A live jazz quintet was playing on a raised stage in one corner, there was a real bar next to the door to the kitchen, and hundreds of people enjoying the party, served by hundreds of staff members. Everything about it was excessive, the size of the hall, the drinks, the food, the airs and graces exuding from every guest. It was quite sickening, Yang felt horribly out of place, having trouble bringing out her inner party girl. She grabbed the first drink that was passed under her nose, and kept sipping to give her something to do while Weiss dragged her around by the arm.

"First things first, you should meet Winter."

Winter had her back to them as they approached, she was almost as tall as her father and stood proud, her posture making clear she was made to march and stand at attention for hours. Any misalignments would have been stamped out of her by drill sergeants. She and her father seemed to be having a rather heated conversation in whispers.

"Darling, if you would simply tell me who he is then I'll let him stay here. So you don't have to sneak him through the window on your balcony."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"So be it. Then you know the rules, nobody allowed in your room, Winter."

"I'm twenty-one! I should be able to have whoever I want in my room."

"While you're under my roof, you're under my rule."

Weiss cleared her throat. "Yang, this is my sister, Winter."

Winter's eyes took less than a second to give Yang the once-over. "We've already met."

Weiss' forehead scrunched in agitation. "No, you haven't. When?"

Yang thought it might've been Winter, but she had never been sure. "You were there, at the Vytal Tournament. You know my uncle, Qrow Branwen."

"Unfortunately, yes." Winter's brow darkened her bright eyes. "Qrow's your uncle, so you must be… Dear sister, I must say you have _interesting_ taste."

"What does that mean?" Weiss went a bit red in the face.

Winter smirked with her eyes. "Nothing. I'm just surprised you didn't sneak her through your window." She turned her back and left them.

"Anyway, that's Brandon and his wife." Weiss pointed out one of her older uncles talking to a bald man. "Duncan and his three kids. They're lovely, but I'm not too sure about his second wife. Stay away from Gregor, and don't talk to Argos. Rufus won't bother you, but his girlfriend probably will. She's bessie mates with Petunia, who's nice, but dumb as fuck. Don't tell her anything you want to keep a secret, although if you want to find out a secret, she can help with that too. That's Barry, over there. He's a little weird, but you'll get used to him."

Yang hoped that Weiss didn't expect her to remember everyone. There were a lot of Schnees. "Wow, your family is huge."

"Yeah, sorry. I know it's a lot to take in, some of my relatives I barely know myself, I've only seen them once or twice. You have to meet Lily though, you'll love her. Oh, here she is." Weiss picked up a toddler who was crawling around their feet. Yang nearly jumped backwards in surprise.

"Weiss, she's a chubby, little child, with no peripheral awareness and excess spit. Careful!" Yang untangled the sticky fingers that were poking through Weiss' hair, Lily was very attracted to the sparkly tiara combed into Weiss' updo.

"It's ok, I'll allow her. I think out of all my cousins, she's my favourite. Mainly because she's two and hasn't grown up into a bitchy debutante yet."

Yet another relative came over to say hello. He was in his early to mid-twenties, tall and slim. He had a younger man by his side, going by looks, it was his little brother. "Weiss, it's so nice to see you again. You look incredible, have you lost some weight? I don't think we've spoken since Edward's funeral. How's school?"

"School? It's great. Thanks for asking."

"Weiss, you have forgotten your manners. Aren't you going to introduce your guest, or must I do it for you?" Sten chided from behind them.

"Ah, right. Yes. Sorry. Gus, this is Yang. We go to school together and she's my girlfriend." She did at least attempt to conceal her smugness.

The two lads each gave a noise of recognition and greeted Yang enthusiastically, shaking her hand and introducing themselves. "Welcome, welcome. So you're Weiss' girlfriend. Wow, Weiss, how did you bag her, she's beautiful."

"It's lovely to meet you." Yang shook their hands, and immediately forgot their names.

After the brief interlude to acknowledge Yang's existence, conversation quickly turned back to the original subject of family matters. One of Sten's brothers, a more weathered, but more jovial version of him, had clapped Sten on the back and started another conversation behind Yang.

"Tell me, Finn. How do you look so young?"

"Positive thinking. And I always date a girl younger than myself."

"Terrible business with poor Edward, he was fairly docile. Didn't really get involved in any conflicts."

"What happened to him?" Yang whispered.

"He was murdered, White Fang."

"Keep me informed on the Kuo Kuana investment."

"I'll have the papers with you by tomorrow, tonight if I can manage it. Tax loopholes like those on Menagerie don't stay open for long."

"I guess they saw him as an easy target. Gloria has already vowed revenge, she's been training non-stop."

"An eye for an eye. When are those Faunus bastards going to give up? They've lost, they just haven't realised yet."

"What can I say, their banking system is run by incompetent fools with no idea what they're doing. As long as their demand for Dust keeps growing, I'm sure we could install people in the necessary positions to keep export tariffs low, and claim our costs keep rising."

"The best part is that there's no remittance charge so all the profits are basically tax-free!"

"You say that, we think we've killed them, eradicated them. But they always come back."

"There's always another fool to believe their dogma, another to rise up and incite a riot. Pity they can't get themselves organised enough to coordinate a full-scale war. It's been ages since I had a proper fight."

A new cousin entered the mix. Yang couldn't be sure whether her name had been given previously, so she faded into the background a bit more, and hoped she was ignored.

"Hey, Weiss, where's your sister?"

"I saw her just a minute ago."

"Do you know if she's holding? Or has she gone straight edge?"

The lads were back with drinks, and threw their arms around Weiss' shoulders. "Winter would never take a night off the sesh, right, Weiss? She'll take care of us. She's never let us down before. Are you on it tonight?"

"No, I'm trying to be good."

Her cousin snorted. "Sure, sure. We'll see how long that lasts. Let us know when you're gonna be cool again."

Poor Yang was overloaded, her head whipped from side to side, trying to keep up with the conversations. She surrendered and made a hasty retreat, searching the corridors for a bathroom. She thought she had found it, the door looked very familiar, but she threw it back into its frame as she uncovered two party-goers inside a broom closet, locked in a lover's embrace, and not wearing any pants. Once she recognised Winter Schnee getting busy with one of her many cousins, suddenly Yang needed a bathroom for a different reason. She bumped into a young man, not that much older than her, but way smarmier and richer.

"Looking for a quiet place to go? There's always one of the spare rooms upstairs. I could take you there." He winked.

"Ugh, no! Get out of my way."

"Miss Xiao Long, you're looking a little worse for the wear. Is everything all right?" Sten regarded her with sympathy when she couldn't explain how his family were doing her head in. Sten read it from her facial expression anyway. "I must apologise about my family. They can be a bit much at first."

Yang sighed. "Sorry. I'm trying to fit in here, but it's hard."

"Please don't fit in. Some of these people are terrible human beings."

"That's not a good opinion to have of your family members."

"Oh. Is your family perfect?" he quipped.

Yang furrowed her brow. Her dad was so close to god-level father, but her mother, the one who died, and the woman who gave birth to Yang, were worthless to her as parents. Her uncle Qrow, she loved him, but his favourite was clearly Ruby. He was the silent loner type, and it just didn't gel with her tendency to flame-on when she was excited, and bash things when she didn't get her way. Firecracker, he called her. Pretty to look at, but not so great to be too close when it went off.

"I think I have my answer." Sten smirked. "I don't blindly accept my relatives. My father hired anyone with the name Schnee, regardless of whether they were suitable or not. They caused some serious issues, I've spent most of my career fixing their mistakes. They were a financial black hole, letting them go was hard and, obviously, quite complicated."

"Well, that makes financial sense, I guess."

"Thank you. Not many people saw it that way."

"Who else should I watch out for?"

"Anyone around Weiss' age. I'm quite sure they'll look at you and see a toy to take from Weiss. Her cousins are more like her siblings in that regard, they like to tease her."

"They look out for her though, don't they?"

"Fiercely." Sten said honestly. "She's practically their little sister. Am I boring you?"

Yang jumped, she had been still for quite some time, barely listening to Sten. "No, no."

"How about a stroll through the garden, you look like you could use a break."

"No thanks, Weiss would miss me."

"She'll be fine. Come, let's walk." He offered his arm to link, and Yang took it. When Sten said garden, he really meant courtyard, but the grounds were greener than Yang expected. The well-tended bushes and shrubs were were given regular topiary makeovers and Yang had no idea how they kept everything so lush. The temperature was mild, there was no frost on the ground, and the building protected them from chilly gusts. It was refreshingly alive and prospering, considering how many metres they were above sea level.

"So, Yang, tell me about yourself."

"There's not much to tell really, I'm training to become a Huntress, like my sister. She skipped two years of school because she's so good at it. I'm stoked I get to go to school with her, be on a team with her. Without Ruby, I don't think I would've known Weiss at all."

"So she brought the two of you together?"

"It was a bit of a bumpy ride at first, but yeah. That's how we know each other, they're partners."

"What do you think of Weiss' sister?"

"She's cool."

"You can be honest."

"Well, cool as in literally. She's much more formal than Weiss is. I don't mean that in a bad way, I guess she has to be like that to be in the army."

"My colleague, James, is the headmaster at Atlas Academy and the Major General of the military. In simple terms, he's Winter's boss."

"Yeah, I've met him. He was the one who delivered the news that I was disqualified from the tournament. Did you watch it, the matches with Weiss, I mean. We fought together in one of them."

"Ah, no. I was busy. I'd vaguely heard something about match fixing though. So that was you?"

"No, I didn't fix the match. I won because I'm good. Our opponents weren't chosen at random though, like they were supposed to be. Someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes."

"Why didn't you report it?"

"Because nobody believed me. Well, nobody except Weiss."

"She's always been a firm believer in fairness and justice."

"Yeah, I like that about her." Yang cleared the stuffiness out of her throat. "So, Mr S, tell me something about you."

"I'm not sure what to say, there are a lot of 'facts' about me thrown around by the media. I hope you don't buy into garbage like that."

"No, you seem much more human than they make you out to be."

He chuckled. "I've been around for such a long time, yet I've never met anyone like you. It's refreshing how honest you are. You make me want to kick back, relax, de-stress, and not worry about anything. Or at least, I can pretend and keep a smile on my face while doing so."

"That's not anything that anyone have ever said to me before."

Sten twisted around, as a slight cough was heard from behind them. A young waiter had brought them shots. It seemed their absence did not go unnoticed. "Do you like scotch, Yang?"

No, she really didn't. But she would drink practically anything. Literally, any drink tastes better than hooch. "Sure."

He took their drinks. "I'm afraid I've been unwelcoming. You don't seem at ease here, I hope my attempts at hospitality haven't been taken wrongly."

"No." She cleared her throat. "It's not you. You've been really nice actually."

"Not like she told you?" He raised a cheeky eyebrow.

"She gave me the basic facts. You're apparently a very hard man to please. But I'm certainly not going to badmouth the man who got me out of the slammer."

"I thought she was the one who got you released."

"That's what she wants me to think. But if she could've done it without your help, she would've done it straight away."

"How very observant of you. You seem uncomfortable. You still act like you're not our honoured guest. Have we offended you in some way?"

"No, I…" Yang sighed. "Sorry if it seems that way. I'm just struggling to adjust a little bit."

"Don't apologise. Do let us know if there's anything you need. Please make use of our home, as if it were yours. I want you to feel welcome here."

Yang looked over her shoulder, back to the party. Weiss and her cousins raised shot glasses in a loud toast. "In that case, I think I want to go to bed."

Sten looked hurt for a second, then said, "be my guest."

Yang was fast asleep by the time Weiss trudged up to bed, well and truly past merry and in the realms of dizzy drunk. Rage flared inside her that Yang had left the party without her, even though she failed to notice until it was time to sleep. She was purposefully loud as she got ready, slurring sarcastic comments as if Yang were listening, half-hoping Yang would wake up and trade jibes with her. Weiss only managed to remove the top layers of her clothes and makeup, then passed out on the bed.

Weiss woke up to find two aspirin and a glass of water next to her, but no Yang. She stared around, bleary eyed, trying to find a trace of her girlfriend. Panic began to set in, trying to wrack her memory in case she did something horrid and embarrassing. Yang finally walked out of the bathroom, wearing a towel, and a silly grin.

"Morning, sleep well? I might have walked into your closet thinking it was the bathroom. I got lost in there."

Weiss snorted. "It's the first left past the shoes."

"Which row of shoes?"

"The third one. They're the ones I wear. How long have you been up?"

"Long enough to see you snoring, Princess."

"What?!" Weiss groaned, her own outburst aggravating her headache. "Thank you for getting me the painkillers." She swallowed the pills, hoping they would dissolve quickly in her empty stomach.

"I didn't. That was your butler. Scared the absolute shit out of me when he came in without knocking."

"Sorry. I'll have to remind him that I have a guest. Did you have fun last night?"

Yang pulled the towel around her shoulders for protection. "Yeah, the party was great."

"That doesn't sound sincere. What's up?" Weiss was not entirely pleased with the nonchalant shrug Yang gave her in response, but it would have to do. Yang's mood switched, and Weiss shivered. "Are you ok?"

"Sure."

"Really, because you don't seem it. You left the party early, you were very quiet all night. Is there something wrong, did someone say something to you?"

"No."

"Really? 'Cos you seem so…"

"So, what?"

"Different," Weiss said cautiously.

"Can we not talk about this now?"

Weiss scoffed but let it slide, maybe it was too soon for Yang to talk about it yet. She tiptoed around Yang all day, and barely said a word to her. Weiss had planned a full day of fun, but Yang had her eyes half-closed and gave one word answers to everything, no matter how delicately Weiss phrased her questions. Weiss knew she was not responsible for Yang's sullen mood, but it didn't prevent her feelings being hurt by it. The only time Yang seemed to perk up was around meals.

"Oh, it's nearly lunch time. I wonder what we'll be having. I was expecting your dad to be at breakfast."

"He was already at work. He'll probably be back around eight, if not, then midnight."

"Wow, he works late." Yang was used to her own father's working hours, where he came home to prepare dinner and work around the house before she waltzed in after hanging out with her friends until whatever time she felt like. He also had generous holidays being a school teacher, but she couldn't say that he earned quite as much as Weiss' father.

"He has to. When he's at home, it's not to relax, he still has to work."

"He seemed to be having fun last night."

"That was a party, that's different."

"So, he won't be here for dinner? Do you ever see him at all?"

"Honestly, I prefer it that way." Weiss breathed a sigh of relief when Yang dropped the subject, although now they weren't talking again. Dinner passed without incident, although Yang did crack a smile at Rosa flirting with her waiter all night. Weiss' timid suggestion of something low-energy like a movie in bed, or binge-watching a boxset, was met with little enthusiasm, but at least it was accepted.

Weiss popped the bags in the microwave, and hoped that Yang would be a little bit happier since they were doing something that Yang had picked. Yang had glumly chosen an old martial arts action epic, with a flimsy plot so it would be easy to watch and switch off her brain. Weiss turned to face Yang, but she was standing over on the other side of the large, sterile kitchen and staring out the window. A six cylinder engine took over the noise of the corn popping, the exhaust rumbled from quite a distance, all the way through the double glazed windows.

Yang smiled, the muscle car was bright metallic orange, a convertible (although the top was up), and the body had been lowered, the rims were custom. It was the automobile equivalent of a studded leather jacket, ripped jeans and a mohawk, a defiant middle finger to conformity. Or perhaps a symptom of a full blown mid-life crisis. Either way, it was hella cool.

The microwave pinged, Weiss poured the popcorn into a huge bowl. As they were leaving, Sten was on his way to collect his food from the warm drawer in the oven. Suddenly, Yang had her eyes open.

"Oh, hey, Mr S."

"Good evening, Yang. Please, call me Sten. Weiss." He looked at the bowl, and then to the DVD case in Yang's hands. "I'd stop to chat but I'm in a bit of a rush. Enjoy your film."

"Thanks." Yang fumbled her next few words, and Sten politely waited for her to come out with it. "I like your gym."

A chill ran up Weiss' spine. "Father, just wanted to say, I must compliment you on our gym. It's very well-designed. We had a great training session in there, didn't we, Yang?"

"Well, it's for very serious people only, Weiss. I don't want you messing about in there. You could hurt yourself if you're not careful."

"I won't, I know what I'm doing. I'm much stronger than I used to be."

"Yeah, but you're a bit small. It wasn't designed for you."

"I can cope, can't I, Yang?"

"Yeah, Sten, she's doing great. She doesn't even need me to train her anymore."

"That remains to be seen. I doubt she's that advanced yet." His scroll started ringing. "I'm sorry, I have to take this. Do not use my gym unsupervised, Weiss. Don't let me find you in there playing with things not meant for you," he warned.

Yang watched him go as he pulled out Weiss' guts from the open wound his words had sliced into her. Weiss hid her watery eyes behind thin, trembling fingers. "I hate him. I hate him so much."

Yang put her arm around her, it was the closest they had been all day. "Wow, I didn't know he could be like that. Sorry, Weiss. He acted so different with me."

"That's what everyone says. That he's so nice, he seems like such a good person. But he's not, at least, not to me."

"I'm gonna go talk to him. He shouldn't treat you the way he does."

"No, Yang, no. Definitely do not do that." Yang had already started leaving. "Wait. Oh shit." She cursed at Yang's receding footsteps.

Yang was through the door and marching with heavy determination through the long corridor, before Weiss could stop her. She had turned at least three corners before she realised she had little idea where she was going, or indeed, what part of the house she was in right now. She probably should've taken that tour that Weiss offered when they arrived.

"I can't fucking find anything in this fucking house!"

"Miss Xiao Long, are you lost?"

"Yes!" She gasped, upon turning she realised Sten had been walking behind her for an unknown length of time. She thought he was one of the staff members when he spoke. "No, not anymore, I found you. I was looking for you. I need to talk to you."

He amicably agreed, and took her into one of his offices, even though she didn't actually agree to that. She did not sit down, even when invited. Sten sat in his high-backed reclining chair, with his fingers threaded together in front of him, ready to listen to whatever she had to say.

"I'm here about Weiss." Yang got straight to the point. "Did you ever stop to think that some of the things you say to Weiss might, uh, hurt her feelings?"

"What sort of things do I say?"

"It's sly. You never say outright that you wished she was more like you, but it's pretty obvious what you mean when you say stuff to her. Have you ever tried being straight with her?"

"Weiss is a bit too delicate for tough love. I don't believe that is the way for her to prosper."

"I know you're her father and you know best, I'm not arguing with that. I just want to tell you what I've seen so far, and that is the way you undercut her opinions, her abilities, and her dreams, she doesn't prosper from that either."

"She will eventually, one day she will look back and see everything I've done for her, behind the scenes, in secret. She is my daughter and I've done nothing but love her and give her everything she ever wanted, I made sure she had a better life than I had. I support her in everything she does."

"That's not true, she told us that you hated the idea of her becoming a Huntress."

"I do. I think it's folly. Why do something so ridiculous?" Sten was using his boardroom voice to pass judgement on Weiss' chosen career path.

"It's not a joke though. Being a Huntress is a pretty big deal, to me, as well. It can be pretty deadly. Aren't you even a little bit impressed that she's willing to do that?"

"Impressed? That makes it even more foolish. Why do you think I went to the trouble of hiring the best fencing masters in the world to train her? I wanted to keep her safe from monsters. How is a father supposed to feel when his daughter throws herself willingly into the path of danger? Which, as you rightly say, is often deadly."

"My dad is pretty proud of me and my sister. You could ask him. He doesn't feel the need to be so over-protective, because he knows we can handle ourselves. Weiss can too."

"Can you assure me of that, she'll never be hurt? The scar on her face says otherwise." He laughed ruefully. "I suppose to some it could be considered a noble endeavour, to give one's life for the protection and safety of the people. I served my time in the army, it was during the Great Unrest, when I was in my prime. I fought off Grimm and raiders alike, all the old Mantle villages were being attacked. I saw one of the bandits, he was so close, just about where you're standing now. Those eyes. They'll haunt me forever. I'd saved the lad the week before from Beowolves, and there he was, raiding the next village I was sent to protect. So, you see, I'm also protecting Weiss from having to make a choice like that. I don't want her to be the cause of someone's death."

"Being a Huntress in Vale is completely different to that. Beacon is nothing like the military school you sent Weiss to."

"What did she tell you about that?"

"That you have all these insanely strict rules about how your clothes have to be just so, and you can't sit down until you've been commanded to, so they use standing up as a form of torture. For how advanced Atlas is, I can't believe you still use the cane, like it's last century or something. That's crazy. And abuse."

"I can see how someone who received a softer education, might find our methods a little extreme. But you can't deny its success."

"Hey, school was rough for me too, ok. I was a bit of a troublemaker and the teachers didn't know what to do with me, so they either forced me out of their classroom or left me alone in a corner and ignored me. I was this special case, and that meant no one wanted to try and connect with me because to them, it was pointless. No one understood me."

"That simply means that your education system failed you, whereas in Atlas, we would've found a place for you. We find a suitable place for everyone so everyone does something useful and feels valued. A few years of polishing at one of our academies, a diamond in the rough can be made to shine like a star." He winked ever so slightly. "Weiss was an excellent Cadet, followed procedure to the letter. Did she mention to you that she has a pilot's license? I don't think she likes to talk about her short foray into a military career. I set her up to have everything she would possibly need to succeed. She could've made Brigadier much quicker than her sister can ever hope for."

"I thought you didn't want Weiss to be a warrior? Wanting her to join the army, is quite a contradiction."

"Our great military is all encompassing. There are thousands of jobs that don't require even indirect contact with combat. There would have been no reason for her to be in any more danger than an ordinary citizen such as you or I. She would be a prime candidate to be an envoy, or perhaps a diplomat. I'm sure you've noticed that her tongue is sharper than her sword."

"You can say that again. Uh, I mean, don't you think you're underestimating her quite a lot? I mean, physique-wise, I'd say she's grown quite a lot these last few months. It carries over into fighting, you know, it's not like she's defenseless."

"And yet, here you are, defending her."

"That's different, you're her father."

"Yes, I am. Do you know how many people there are in Remnant who have the gall to do what you've just done?"

"What? No. What have I just done?" Yang shook her head, ignorant and a little bit threatened.

"You actually wanted to pick a fight with me. Sometimes I notice the lengths that people will go to in order to avoid a confrontation with me. It's almost like you don't care who I am."

"No, I don't care who you are because I can still pummel you into the ground if you don't change your attitude towards Weiss."

"Although, if you did that, they would drag you back to jail and no judge on the planet would let you walk away without spending a lifetime in a cell, or more."

"Well, if that's the outcome, I clearly didn't come here to pick a fight with you. I came to persuade you."

"Ok, so persuade me then."

"I'm asking you politely to be nicer to Weiss."

"I am nice. I am as _nice_ to her as I'm going to get."

"I'm just saying you should be doing this because you're her dad. You're supposed to love her, even if she makes it difficult sometimes."

"And you? Do you love her?"

"Yeah, but I haven't had the guts to tell her yet." The answer came to her naturally and she spoke rather hastily. Once the words were out in the open, she couldn't take them back.

Sten did a better job of hiding his surprise than she did at her revelation. He was unabashedly fascinated by Yang, and all her ideas and motives. The first person ever that Weiss brought home openly as a romantic partner, despite her promises that she would rather not subject anyone to the constant stress of living with such machiavellians. When they first met, he took stock of all her outward negative features. She was cocky and brash, her knuckles were hard and enlarged - conditioned for fighting, she never hid her emotions mostly because she was a terrible liar. Her butt had this hypnotic swagger and hugely attractive jiggle when she walked in a certain way that drew a sizeable amount of attention. Turning heads was as easy as breathing for her. Sten tilted his head thoughtfully with a small smirk. Yang gulped, her hands were sweating buckets. Sten seemed to be amused by her nerves.

"You don't care much about money, do you?" His inquisitiveness seemed innocent enough. A lot of people lied about money, how much they had, how much they owed, how much they were willing to part with.

"The things that I want, can't be bought." Yang fought hard to say that without her voice breaking.

Sten studied her carefully. "There's much more to you than meets the eye. I can see why she likes you." He smiled again. "I'm glad you appreciate more than numerical value."

Yang knitted her brow sternly. "And I suppose you do?"

"You don't get to where I am today, without knowing the difference."

"I highly doubt you do. Weiss told me you only care about money and I can see what she means, you haven't said a kind word to her or asked how she is since we got here. You don't treat her like a person, you treat her like a helpless little baby."

Sten rolled his eyes. Yang recognised the action immediately, Weiss did that all the time in exactly the same way. She wondered if Weiss knew that she shared that in common with her father. "You want to know why I protect her, or in your words, seem over-protective? Here."

Sten went over to one of his cabinets and unlocked the door. Yang saw inside, but it was mainly files and boss-looking briefcases. He dropped a tatty cardboard box on the desk in front of Yang. She was intrigued, it looked like an item from her old bedroom back in Patch, a makeshift storage solution for all her crap that she had collected over the years and not thrown away. It was easy for her to recognise it for what it was: a box of memories. What would the Schnees want to keep, but not put on display like the rest of their supposedly fabulous lives? Why did Sten keep it locked in a cupboard?

Yang reached in, first touching papers, and then a ring of plastic. She pulled out a yellowed hospital wristband. It was cut loose after being worn, Yang put the ends together and it barely went around two of her fingers. Whoever had this on their wrist this was proper titchy. She turned it over and didn't know how to feel about the printed label on it: Schnee, Weiss. Age 1. Paediatric Oncology department. Sten seemed reluctant to explain, but she could sense that he had wanted to tell someone for the longest time. The start of Weiss' life was a rocky one, she was born ridiculously premature and doctors weren't sure whether mother and baby were going to make it. Thankfully, they both pulled through, Weiss against all odds, though it was touch and go for a while. Sten got to bring his wife and newborn home with him, and they were allowed happiness for a few months. Then came the diagnosis, and Sten's world came crashing down around his ears.

"What's ALL?"

"Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia."

"Fuck me, she never told me she was a survivor."

Yang blinked, aghast, at every one of the photos that he showed her of a tiny Weiss, resembling a wrinkly jaundiced potato in a onesie more than a human baby, with feeding tubes and life sign monitor wires tangling up her little body like a spider web. For a second she looked at him like he was trying to con her, gain her trust and sympathy by making up stories. She didn't want to believe it, because her heart broke at each new picture. But the wristband, it was the same as the one around the ankle of that poor sick baby. She guessed that the papers in the box must be the medical records that Weiss had no idea existed.

"She doesn't know, she was too young to remember. Thanks to my wife, she was born an addict. Opiates mainly, nothing illegal, but I didn't know until the birth. That's why she's so small, she'll never be as strong as she could be." Sten's fist squeezed, but he placed it flat on the desk and gave Yang a piercing look. He shrank back in shame, sympathy was coming off her in waves, and thick, glassy tears in her eyes were beginning to slide down her cheeks.

When he next spoke, his voice was weak, "we nearly lost her, there were a couple of scares. Cancer is no one's bitch. You can probably imagine why she subconsciously hates hospitals and doctors. She screamed whenever they had to test her bone marrow for traces of cancer cells, I found it hard to stay in the room. Pathetic, I know. I always thought it made me a bad father."

She nearly stumbled backwards. "I'm sorry to hear that. Is she ok now?"

"She got the all clear just before she started kindergarten."

"She doesn't have a clue, not at all?" Yang wondered if Weiss would act differently if she knew. Alcohol, cocaine, pills were not the most serious drugs that Weiss had taken, not compared to being pumped full of chemo. Maybe she should be more careful with her body and more precious with her life. Yang definitely saw Weiss' self-destructive tendencies in a new light, as well as her own. Perhaps it was time for both of them to grow up.

"When are you gonna tell her? She deserves the truth."

Sten shook his head in dismay and gave a tiny shrug. "I meant to tell her years ago, but it was never the right time. That's why I wanted her here, in Atlas, where we have better technology, better doctors to save her, just in case. I have to protect her at all costs, even if it's from herself. I'm not trying to be a dictator, she's just so precious to me, and she doesn't understand why. I know it's my fault, but I can't talk to her now."

"Why did you talk to me about it, now I have to tell her. That's what you wanted, right?"

"I'd prefer if you didn't actually. It's something I'm rather ashamed of. I've never told anyone, hardly anyone knows in the first place. I've never before shared with someone outside the family how I feel about it. How I feel about Weiss. But it was nice to get it off my chest, so thank you."

"Who else knows?"

"Myself, my wife, and Winter. The doctors who treated her, but they have a patient-practitioner confidentiality clause. We kept it from the rest of the family, we're very open but we don't share everything. Whenever we do that, somehow the press always gets involved. That invites unwanted attention from our friends in the White Fang."

"She could find out by herself, what if she sees her medical history?"

"Then she'll find out. It's long overdue. I already deeply regret the pain it's going to cause her."

"I… don't know what to say. This is such a huge part of her life. She's lucky to be alive. Turns out money can't buy health or happiness after all. How do you not think about this every single day of your life?"

He placed the tag back on top of the papers, right in the centre, and folded the cardboard flaps to pack it away. "I put it in a box in my head, and never look inside it. But I'll never forget why I do the things I do, which I why I keep the box. I would've given anything, my entire fortune, to make my child well again. I almost sold my company so I could take care of her and pay for experimental treatment. Do you believe me now, that I do know the difference?"

"Of course. I'd do the same."

He seemed to warm up to that. "You're good as gold. I knew I was right about you."

"Hey, wait. So, you're gonna keep treating Weiss the same way, aren't you?"

"She's my daughter and I'll treat her the way I see fit."

"Right." Yang sighed through her nose, mission failed. "Sorry to bother you, I guess."

"No bother at all, Yang. I very much enjoyed our conversation. I hope to see you at dinner tomorrow, it's one of my favourites." His head bowed over the desk, and he picked out a sheet of paper, and sat back to read it.

"You're going to be at dinner? I thought you didn't eat with your family. They've missed you these past few days."

"I have a lot of work to do, as you can see."

"I know but, you pay people to make a nice dinner and serve it to you. The least you could do is be civil and eat it."

His jaw tightened. Sure, she didn't get what she came for, but she wasn't going to leave with nothing. "A good point. I'll try to be there."

Weiss specifically did not ask how the conversation went, even though she was dying to know. Yang couldn't speak of it, what she had learned. The movie was completely forgotten. The only thing that got Weiss to shut up about it was discussing the evening meal planned for tomorrow, and she began the long procedure of explaining how family dinners were basically a formal event, especially since her father would be in attendance.

Yang was annoyed, but not surprised, by the dress code. She complained of wearing heels, considering they were going to be seated the entire time. Weiss was keen to put Yang in dress after dress, deciding which one accentuated all her curves the best. Yang smiled and twirled when asked, but she was dead inside. It was everything she could do to avoid bursting into tears just by looking Weiss in the face. All she could see was that scrawny little baby, death hanging over her. Weiss had a nice time, brushing invisible dust off Yang's butt because every dress mysteriously had a little something on it.

The sooner they had company, the better. Yang was grateful that the waiters were extra attentive tonight, and were continually intruding on their conversations with offers of more wine or serving the next course.

Sten strode in after the appetiser, and only put his scroll down and acknowledged everyone at the table when his business call was over. He looked at his wife, saw her drunken lack of balance, and turned away. She knew her place, and kept her mouth shut, since anything she said would be ignored with abrasive hostility.

"Ah, Yang, now that I know you train, I'll have the chef give you more appropriate macronutrients ratios."

"Oh no, it's fine. Don't have them go to the trouble just for me."

"Actually, father, I need bigger meals as well, now that I train too. I'm a little heavier than I used to be."

"We give you more food than you need anyway, because you never clean your plate. Always something you don't like." Sten said sternly. Weiss dropped her eyes, and pushed her food around her plate a bit before deciding to eat again. She was the last one to finish, everyone else was sipping wine to keep themselves occupied while they waited.

"Perhaps Yang would be kind enough to share her favourite meal and we can have that on your last night."

Yang stuttered. "I'm sure your chefs can do better than mac and cheese," she said finally.

"It would be no trouble at all. I'm sure they would be delighted to whip something up."

"Thanks. That would be good actually." Not that Yang didn't like the food the chefs cooked; it was a bit fancy, she felt wrong eating exotic dishes she could barely pronounce. Mac and cheese was something she could recognise, although she was sure they would bring out something with their own high-class gastronomic twist.

"So, Yang, you go to the same school as Weiss. The elephant in the room. I'd love to hear your opinion of how well you think the academy is doing."

"I think it's fine." Not that her opinion was exactly valid; if Beacon was so great, she wouldn't be failing so badly. "We did well in the Vytal Tournament."

"Beacon finished the tournament with a better ranking than Atlas, the tournament was won by someone from Beacon." Weiss said, giving some perspective.

"Yes, Pyrrha Nikos, the regional champion from Mistral."

"She still goes to Beacon, you know. It's good enough for her."

"She's not my daughter."

"But, Mr S, she's like the best there is, although you wouldn't know it by talking to her. She could've got a place at any school she wanted, but she chose Beacon."

"Well, I'm glad you proved it has some merit to those whose interests are combat."

Yang scoffed. "It's the best school in the world, I'm proud to go there to learn how to be a Huntress."

"As am I."

"But you're actually a good Huntress, aren't you, Yang?"

A fork dropped loudly on a plate, as Winter turned to Weiss, and Weiss glared at her father, and he passed a gleeful smirk to Yang, who didn't know where to look. She rubbed her sweaty hands together under the table, and said in an unconfident voice, "I wish my professors agreed with you."

"It was only a joke."

Rosa burst out laughing, alone for a while before Sten sniggered at her. Yang smiled robotically to try to bring everyone to the same wavelength, but Weiss and Winter remained stoic.

"You should have more confidence in yourself, Yang. I, for one, think your excellence shines bright like a diamond."

"Thanks but uh, I'm not the only one who could do with a confidence boost. Weiss is good at tests, she always gets top marks. She's the smartest girl in school."

"What's she going to do, wave her good grades at a snarling Grimm and hope they drop dead?"

Yang turned to Weiss who was bright red and looked constipated. "That's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant."

"Is that another joke or…?"

"Sure, a joke. It's all a big joke."

Weiss sprang up, rattling several nearby pieces of crockery. "MY CAREER CHOICE IS NOT A JOKE."

"No one said it was, calm down," Winter said, attempting to defuse the situation. It only proved to make Weiss even more mad, she was sweating out her rage as she slowly sank back into her chair. No Schnee looked at Yang, but she felt their scrutiny all the same. None of this would have happened if Yang hadn't been there. She was supposed to be Team Weiss but she had scored an own goal and felt that she should leave the pitch in shame.

"I should go, uhh, please excuse me." Yang stood up, taking her plate and used cutlery, intending to bring the dirty dishes to the kitchen and giving her a genuine excuse to leave the hall.

Weiss pulled her arms down so that the plate clattered to the table and cracked. "We have people for that."

Yang breathed a frustrated sigh. "I can't- I have to go."

Sten waved a limp wrist. "You're excused."

Weiss stood up to chase Yang, but her solid wood chair got in the way, totally ruining her dramatic exit.

"Sit down, Weiss. The meal isn't over. You are not permitted to leave the table until you've finished your food."

Weiss looked at her plate. There was maybe a mouthful left, stone-cold crumbs she could scrape together from the edges. She held her nose and ate it while her entire family watched. She stood up again. "I wish to be excused."

"Where do you think you are going? There's still the dessert course."

Weiss stayed for not a second longer than she needed to, and held back tears with every bite. Dessert was usually her favourite course, the pastry chefs had really outdone themselves tonight, but the heart-shaped palmiers were not doing the trick. She ignored the wine served alongside, knowing it would make her feel sick. Still chewing the last morsel, she speed-walked up to her room, catching her shoes on the stairs, knocking into things carelessly. Her bedroom door slammed behind her, and the tears were set free. Yang ran to her.

"What happened?"

Weiss sniffled. "Nothing. He was just-" Weiss couldn't stand up any longer.

Yang held her, put her arms tightly around her and let her cry on her shoulder. She shushed her, stroking her hair, sharing the pain with her. She kissed her tears away, and tilted her face towards her.

"Come on, it's ok."

"You don't know that."

"I do. It's gonna be ok, I'm here."

Weiss reached up and gave Yang a salty sweet kiss. Yang's heart had a jumpstart. Her hand dropped down to Weiss' slim waist, and she pressed another kiss on her lips. The chaste kiss went on long enough to make them both breathless. It wasn't often Yang got a chance to show tenderness since her girlfriend was so headstrong and extremely stubborn to boot. But tonight, Weiss _needed_ her, more than anyone. Weiss still had the odd tear leaking from under her closed eyelids. Yang supported Weiss as she tiptoed to be closer. Weiss' tongue made entry, but it failed to rouse Yang to do the same. Yang stiffened as Weiss' hands slid over the curve of her butt.

Yang pulled away. "Could we slow down, and just talk?"

"I don't feel like talking."

Yang shoved away the hands that were around her back, at the zipper of her dress. She caught onto them as Weiss tried to go for it again, and held them tight. Weiss struggled a bit to test her bonds, and found that Yang was being absolutely serious about restraining her. "That turns me on, you know."

Yang sprang backwards and dropped Weiss, like her skin was acidic. She had no intention of looking so appalled that it would shame Weiss, but at least it got her point across. Crestfallen, Weiss bowed her head.

"Yang, what's with you? Why are you holding back?"

"I'm sorry, I must be tired." Yang stifled a yawn.

"No, it's more than that. You're here but you're not _all there_. The light's on, but no one's home."

"I'm fine. All good."

"Not from where I'm standing. You don't want to talk to me, you don't want to spend time with me. You're always grumpy and I try to suggest things to cheer you up and you never want to do anything! It's like you don't want to touch me, you haven't since you got here. Not properly. I can't stand you like this. Have you forgotten who I am? I'm no angel, and I know you aren't a saint either. I won't break if you want to be dirty with me. I'm not some doll that will shatter if you play with me too hard."

Yang gave a tiny shake of the head, and glanced down, away from Weiss. "It's not that."

"Then what the fuck is wrong with you? I've had it up to here with you lately, I'm sick of it." Yang flinched at the harshness of her tone. "I really didn't think I would have to work so hard to convince you to fuck me."

"Is that all I am to you? Someone to fuck?"

"No."

"Pfft. Sure. You don't think I feel it every night when you fucking touch me, while you think I'm asleep?"

"What?! I'm just cuddling you."

"You're looking to start something, always. Right now, it's a fight."

"I'm not fighting with you."

"Oh wait, I get it. It's about rebellion, you're using me to disobey your father."

"You saw for yourself how he treats me. He seems to like you more than he likes me." She sounded like a petulant child and made it worse with a very immature scoff. "As if you've never used someone before."

"I don't know if you meant it that way, but that hurt a lot. You of all people should know I've changed, tried to be better than that."

Weiss' jaw flapped. "I- Forgive me." She brushed Yang's hair out of her eyes. "You're right. My father-"

"Isn't here in the room with us. So why is he controlling you?"

"He's done some horrible things to me. Tonight wasn't even the start of it. I'm sorry if it's left some marks."

"You think I don't have scars too? Things people have done to me? At least you still have your father. My mother is dead, I'll never see her or hear her voice again. Raven's gone, she's never coming back. You'll never understand what real abandonment feels like."

"You did abandon me! You went to prison for three months, and I only saw you once and heard from you exactly twice. I know you were in jail, but my life was ruined by losing you. Ask Ruby, ask Blake, they'll tell you that I couldn't cope."

"What about me?! 'Coping' in prison. Shit got really real, and you weren't there. Yet again, I was all alone."

"Because of you pushing me away."

"I was angry!"

Weiss gasped. "Well, I just missed you."

"Not enough to come and get me. You could've done it at any time, you should've done it the day I went in there. You could've called your father to get me out and you didn't. What were you waiting for?"

"I…"

"What were you doing? Spent a lot of time in the gym, I can see that."

"No, it wasn't like that. I had my own shit to deal with."

"Seems like you were getting on pretty well without me. Everything was going really well for you, business as normal for you, wasn't it?"

"Yang-"

"Well, wasn't it? Do tell me, 'cos I'd love to know what you were up to."

"Yang…"

"Forget it. I'm done. I'm going to sleep."

Weiss ran into the bathroom the moment Yang turned her back. She turned on the tap, so the rush of the cold water hid the sound of her sniffles. Her father, she was used to his cruelty, but not Yang. That was so much more hurtful than she could ever imagine. She shut off the tap, she had finally run out of tears. She rubbed her tired eyes. Expecting Yang to be in bed, she was humbled to see Yang still up, blowing her nose on a tissue. Her tired eyes met Yang's red, puffy ones.

"I'm sorry," they said. Yang crushed the tissue into a ball and tossed it away. She held her arms out for a hug.

Weiss crawled across the bed, over to Yang's side. "Please don't be mad at me. I didn't mean it like that."

"I'm sorry I lashed out at you. I'm not mad, I promise." This time, Weiss was happy with a cuddle.

Exhausted, Weiss was gone the moment her head hit the soft pillows. Yang blinked slowly, she knew that sleep was not possible for her. She sat up in the dark for a while, listening to the wind whirl around the mountain, re-thinking her entire life. Being here was fast becoming a thorn in her side. She never wanted to come here in the first place. She wanted to go home, or failing that, just leave and get far away from this cold, heartless place.

No wonder Weiss and Rosa drank to escape their problems. They were stuck here even more than Yang. Outside the house, there was nothing. No towns for miles, only a single lane that went on for days by foot. It was frigid as fuck, the wind cut through any number of layers, and the snowblind from a blizzard would ensure Yang losing her way and meeting her demise. Yang doubted she would make it to safety before needing help. Options for a physical escape were extremely limited.

On top of that, even if she managed to make it back to civilisation, a great ocean barred her way home. Weiss held the tickets for their return flight, and it was not like Yang could just conjure up the money to board a last minute crossing by sea or by air. She supposed she could contact someone, like Ruby, for example, but that ran the risk of Ruby contacting Weiss and in that case, Yang would be back to square one and still stuck in this damned house.

She was effectively trapped here, having exchanged one prison for another.


End file.
